


The Rest of Forever

by aceinlove



Category: None - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Gay, Gay Sex, Gay Smut, Jail, M/M, Rimming, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 32,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25010119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceinlove/pseuds/aceinlove
Summary: Jack is a quiet man that doesn't really share much of his life with anyone. Benny might just be a little too open. They've never met until they end up in a jail cell together. There's something between them that neither can deny.
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	The Rest of Forever

Benjamin is what some people would call scrawny for an 18 year old. He was 5’10 in height, weighing in at 150. He didn’t look very strong but he was the kind of guy that could hold his own. He’s taken down men twice his size, but also been beaten by someone smaller than him. Benny didn’t like to fight, though he did a lot. He didn’t go out and start a scrap, but he frequently finishes them.

Benny is a confident man, and it works for him. Especially now as he is forced to change into a blue jumpsuit in front of 9 other boys. He stood tall as he pulled the shoulders up, fixing his collar before buttoning up the front. He may have left his bare chest exposed for longer than he needed, as he stretched his arms back to fix his collar. Benny didn’t have astounding abs, but his muscles and his v-line were softly defined under his tanned skin, the lighting in the room making him look a few shades darker than he really is. 

He finally buttoned up, folding up his own clothes and returning them at the in-take desk before joining the line of boys against the painted brick wall. The ten boys stood shoulder to shoulder, dressed in identical blue jumpsuits as three uniformed officers came to stand in front of them. The man in the middle was obviously in charge, his uniform a bit more embellished than that of the other two men, who both stand just slightly behind the other man’s shoulders. 

“Listen up,” the front man starts, his voice low but full of authority. “My name is Sergeant Matt Jansen, you can call me any of the following.”

The two men start sounding off at his side, back and forth as if they’ve rehearsed this. They did. 

“Sir.”

“Sergeant.”

“Sergeant Jansen.”

“Jansen.”

“Mr. Jansen.”

“I don’t want to hear you refer to me as Mr. Matt - only inmates on good terms can call me that. And do not call me Matt - friends call me Matt. We are not on good terms and we sure as hell aren’t friends. This is Deputy Pollard,” the short, pale man with buzzed sandy hair, swimming in his uniform to the sergeant’s left. “And this is Deputy Rourke.” The dark skinned man stands at an average height, solid muscles slightly pulling at the seams of this uniform. He stood tall with his shoulders back while the smaller man slouched and fiddled with his own fingertips. 

Benny couldn’t stop staring at Rourke, as he always felt a pull towards men with strong authority, loving the way it feels to be bossed around and dominated. That’s why he was here, anyway. Ben has a long record of prostitution. He would argue that he’s a respected sex-worker. He belongs to a wonderful agency that takes care of him, pays for doctor visits, provides a safe place to work, checks on customers before allowing them to play, and pays him well. He worked on his own hours and was never pressured to bring in money. Not as if that was an issue, anyway, as Benny is a venturous man with an appetite that just can’t be tamed. 

His attentioned is pulled away from the pleated pants stretched tight over round thighs when Jansen clears his throat. “This isn’t like those ‘Scared Straight’ programs. Y'all aren’t some little kids trying to learn right from wrong. You’re nearly adults and this is your last chance before a lot of your juvenile infractions turn into felonies. 

“You’ll be fully immersed for the next 72 hours, starting at lunch call today and ending at lunch call on Monday. That means, gentlemen, we won’t be there to save you. You’ve seen the show, right? Shit, a lot of you have already been in their program. These inmates won’t be cuffed. We won’t be standing over their shoulders. We won’t even be in the room. No cameras, no guards, no acting. You’ll be considered inmates for the next 72 hours.

“The only special treatment you get is a buddy.” As Jansen talks, Pollard moves to open the door to the hallway, ten men dressed in identical orange suits. “We’ve hand selected ten inmates, all of which have been on good behavior for a lengthy time and are close to release dates. Therefore, they’re doing all the can to get out of here early and don’t want to risk that. One man is assigned to each of you. They’re there to help you but they are not obligated to do so in any way. The only thing they _have_ to do is stay right next to you for the next 72. These men do not have to protect you, or help you, or even talk to you if you disrespect them. If they help you, it’s because they want to so I’d suggest playing nice, boys. They’ll be hovering over your shoulder with every step you take.”

Benny gulps but it’s not in fear every man in line towers over him by inches. How are all these men so big? They should start a prison volleyball team. Benny bets they can smack a ball like no other. 

He’s shaken from his daydream when one of the men walks directly up to him, moving around to stand behind his left shoulder. Benny notices all the other inmates do the same exact thing with the other boys so this must be his assigned man. He doesn’t turn around to look at the man, knowing he’ll be screamed at by the officers if he even moves, but the intimidating presence behind him is enough to run a shiver down his spine. 

Jansen is still talking. “You all will be walked, by us three and these gentlemen, down to Gen Pop, but once you’re on the other side of that door, you’re on your own. This is the real deal. Let’s go.”

The line starts moving, Benny following the person/inmate couple in front of him, his own pair following silent behind him. No one talks as they move, hands clasped behind their backs, eyes forward. They had been prompted on correct behavior and rules before they even entered the prison. 

Jansen stops, his hand on the door, as he turns back to the crowd. “I’m going to say it again, because I still don’t think a few of you are truly understanding. You will not see a uniform on the other side of this door but once an hour when we make our checks. We’ll get to you if something happens, but we won’t be able to stop it. The man next to you probably won’t stop it either, and we don’t expect them to. Your actions are your consequences to deal with, not theirs. They’re here to guide you and talk to you, that’s it. You’re in prison, boys, just to get a quick taste before you’re here for life. Dip your toe in. You might find the water’s too hot and you don’t want to be here.”

With that, he pries the heavy door open and motions everyone to file in. The first thing that catches Benny’s attention is that all eyes in the room are on them as they enter. All the inmates watch the newcomer’s closely. They all know of the program, and the blue suits stand out among the sea of orange. It’s silent for only a few seconds before it erupts. Shouts are coming from every direction as the wall of oranges closes in.

Benny feels a solid hand grip his upper arm, looking back for the first time at the man assigned to him. He’s tall, at least 6’3 as he looks down his nose at Benny with piercing brown eyes and dark lips. Benny is stuck for only a second before the crowd yanks him back, the hand on his arm unwavering but pulling him through the bodies. So many voices shout at them, Benny only able to make out a few phrases, those being about fresh meat and them being the inmates’ bitches, which isn’t a bad idea in Benny’s mind. 

He scuttles along behind the yet-to-be-named man, nevertheless, the man guiding him towards the stairs, to a cell on the top level. He finally releases Benny’s arm, which is only slightly disappointing, and they both enter an open door frame into a very impersonal, blank room. “This is your room while you’re here. If you’re not down with the rest of the guys, you’d be best to stay in here. You only have to last three days, but I’m going to teach you what it’s really like in here. Good, Benjamin?”

“Sounds good to me,” he says offhandedly as he looks around. “What should I call you, by the way?”  
The man stares for a second, speaking as if Benny should already know the answer. “Jack. They told you that at intake; weren’t you listening?”

“I was not,” he admits with a laugh. 

Jack’s dark brows furrow, his pupils narrowing. “And what the fuck were you thinking about, if not listening to Jansen?”

Benny is nothing if not an honest man. “Well, at first, I was thinking about Rourke crushing my head between those thighs,” he says with a dreamy sigh, “but then I was thinking about how you guys should start a volleyball team. You’re all so tall. I bet every single one of you could just slam the ball right into the other team’s face. Have you ever played?”

Jack looks taken aback, silent for a solid ten seconds. “N-no. I haven’t… played volleyball. Uhm. I sleep on the bottom bunk, since I’m normally the only one in here. You can sleep on the top for the next three nights.” Jack points to the bunk, which has a pillow and two blankets and one set of pajamas folded and stacked neatly. 

Benny turns to the bunk with a shrug, mumbling an unheard “Well, I prefer to bottom,” before turning back to Jack with a charming smile. “Perfect, thanks.”

“No sense in getting comfy right now; they’ll call us down for lunch here in a minute. Just go down, stand silently in line, get your tray, and find an open seat or eat in here. I usually eat in here.”

“Don’t you have friends to eat with?” As he asks, he hears the main door grind open and a hollar of lunch is echoed around the open space. The pair exit the room side by side and go to wait for their trays. 

“There isn’t such a thing as friends in here, Benjamin, and you’ll learn that quickly.”

“You can call me Benny,” he allows sweetly. “I prefer it. And I’d love to be friends with a few of these men.” His voice is low as he glances around and Jack gives him a strange look. 

Nothing else is said until they’re sat back in their cell, eating the bland lunch. “So, why are you here? What path have you taken that will eventually land you here and what can we do to change it?”

Benny thinks as he chews and swallows his mouthful. “I guess I get in fights a lot. Nothing undeserved, though. And I’ve got some prostitution charges even though that’s not even what I’m doing.” 

Jack chokes on his spit. “What? You out there pimping chicks out and fighting guys? You don’t look the type.”

Benny looks at him with confusion. “No. No, I’m the one being pimped, Jack. I’m what some people might call a whore, a slut, a dirty little cum slut,” he hisses. “Or, at least, that’s what I like to be called in bed. And I don’t fight, I defend myself, and I win most times.” 

Jack was stunned into silence at Benny’s forwardness. It’s possible that he’s never met someone so open about their promiscuity. He doesn’t say anything else and instead focuses on his meal; Benny does the same.

It’s quieter in the cell, though they can still hear the booming voices on the floor below. “They sure do yell a lot,” Benny comments sometime later. The lunch trays are long gone and Jack had yet to say anything else. “I thought that was just a TV thing, you know? Being loud in jail. Like who wants to stand around yelling all day? Just shut up once in a while.” He smiles triumphantly when Jack lets out a chuckle. 

“It’s hard as hell to sleep at first, but you’d get used to it if you were here long enough. But you’re about to be dead ass tired for the next 3 days.” Jack sits stretched out on his bunk, Benny sitting on the floor across from him. 

“I’m used to a lot of noise, actually, I’ll be just fine, I think.” From his spot, Benny has a clear sight out of the door to the stairs and he watches the inmates wander up and down the stairs. He watches as an orange-clad man with a teenager wearing blue stride to the top of the stairs. 

The man cups his hands around his mouth. “If you’re wearing blue, get your ass down here and take a fucken seat. Time to talk.”

Jack sighs and stands off the cot, Benny standing from his position on the floor. “That’s Evan,” Jack says in a whisper as they walk. “Kind of the boss guy around here. He is the one out of our group tasked with pulling together these stupid little pep talks for you guys.”

The two sit side by side in the plastic chairs, the 17 others sitting at the same or surrounding tables and Evan standing front and center. “What the fuck are you dumb ass kids doing here?”

A strong start, Benny thinks. Aggressive right off the bat. He sits up straighter in his seat. Evan is definitely intimidating. He’s completely bald, except for the salt and pepper stubble lining his jaw. Tattoos line every visible piece of skin, which is a lot as he has the top of his jumpsuit hanging low around his waist, leaving his bare torso exposed. While he is a pasty white man, he looks darker and significantly more attractive with ink covered skin.

“You,” Evan points at the kid in blue, the one he’s assigned to. “Fucken, Caleb. The fuck you here for?”

“Theft,” Caleb answers.

Evan waves his hand in a prompting motion. “And?”

“And hitting people.” He says it quietly, obviously something he’s ashamed of doing and doesn’t want to admit. 

“Hittin’ who?” Evan asks with a clenched jaw as he leans on the table, inches from Caleb’s face. 

“My - my mom.”

Another inmate sitting directly next to Caleb slams his hand on the table and Caleb jumps. “You hit your fucken mom? Are you fucken brain damaged?” He’s screaming in Caleb’s face and Benny’s mouth goes dry. He has to get them to yell at him. He needs it.

“What about you, fucken punk?” Evan asks another kid in blue, a skinny light skinned kid that wears his attitude on his face. 

“Pimpin’ out bitches,” he boasts proudly and Benny narrows eyes on him. Most street pimps are pieces of shit. They abuse their girls, underpay them, and don’t take care of them. 

A third inmate only four bodies away from Benny pipes up at this. “Oh, you’re a pimp, huh? You ain’t a pimp in here, are you? You’ll be the bitch in here.” He gets out of his seat and walks around to join Evan, leaning on the table in front of the kid claiming to be a pimp. “How do you treat your girls? Did you pay ‘em nice? Did you get ‘em tested? So you weren’t nice to your girls? You’re a bad pimp. Well, in here, little boy, you’re the bitch. You wanna get used and abused by these men? Like you let happen to your girls?”

The boy shakes his head nervously. “N-no. I don’t want to be anyone’s bitch.”

“Anyone else?” The inmate asks the crowd. “Anyone else want to be a bitch?”

Benny’s hand is in the air before he can even think about it and all eyes are on him as he realizes he’s the only one with his hand up. “What the fuck are you doing?” Jack hisses under his breath but it’s too late. 

The inmate, Brendon as printed on his ID tag, is already standing directly in front of Benny. “Put your damn hand down. You think you’re fucking funny?”

Benny looks up, his heart racing with excitement and he squirms in his seat. He bites back a smile as he feels a familiar heat rush to his face. “No, sir. I’m not trying to be funny.”

“So you want to be someone’s bitch?”

Benny nods once and the room is silent. 

“Do you know what the fuck that means?” Brendon asks, leaning his hands on the table and dropping his head to be level with Benny’s. “That means, _Benjamin_ , you’d do everything I say. You’d give me anything I’d ask for. You’d be sucking a lot of dick in here. You want that?”

Benny drops his voice, leaning even closer to Brendon, nose almost touching his cheek as Benny rasps, “I’d suck your dick until your balls shrivel up like tiny little raisins. I’d do it with a smile on my face and I’d thank you afterwards.” He sits back with a sly smile, everyone but Brendon oblivious to what he just said. 

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Brendon says in shock, standing up straight. He seemed taken off guard by Benny’s words.

Benny just stares at him innocently but unwavering. “Thank you,” he adds with a wink, louder, not making any sense to the others watching. 

Brendon blinks a couple times and shakes his head before walking away and turning his attention elsewhere. He starts yelling at some other unruly teenager and Benny slumps in his seat, satisfied. 

Jack leans over and hisses, “What the hell did you say?”

Benny, almost feeling high at the small rush it gave him, turns his head to gaze at Jack through thick, dark lashes. “Oh, nothing,” he says with a wave of his hand, “just that I’d blow him until his balls were fucken empty.” His voice is breathy and slightly hoarse. 

Benny is sitting between two men in orange and both choke on their own breath at Benny’s words. Benny rides the feeling as Jack’s eyes widen in shock and the other inmate looks at him sharply. He thrives off the shock factor when he’s open about his wants. 

Another inmate is now bouncing energetically around the floor, jumping in the teenager’s faces, yelling at them and telling them all what stupid mistakes they’re making. Benny watches him with hooded eyes as he sits slumped in his seat. The man, appropriately named Kilo, notices and comes stomping up to Benny. “Sit the fuck up in your seat!” He yells. “Have some fucking respect and sit erect, motherfucker.”

“Oh, he’s erect,” a voice comes from behind him, an inmate sitting back to his right that had a clear view of his lap. The population bursts in laughter and whoops. 

Benny doesn’t say anything, he just locks eyes with Brendon sitting a few tables away, and winks at him. He wasn’t particularly into Brendon but he just couldn’t help himself from the rush of flirting. 

\---

A couple hours after dinner, they had been given outside time, so Jack and Benny walked side by side around the courtyard. The sky has darkened to a navy blue and Benny knows it must be nearing lights out. 

Jack has been explaining the ways of the area, what to do and what not to do. He was supposed to be convincing Benny to change his ways so as to not end up here, but he’s really just teaching him how to survive in prison. 

Benny isn’t really paying attention to the words he’s saying. He’s instead watching the crowd; most of the men are shirtless and sweating and it’s just a sight he can’t pull his eyes away from. 

That is, until Jack is yelling at him for the first time, moving to block his vision and starts pushing on his shoulders. The sudden change in energy takes Benny off guard, his heart pounds in his chest, his mouth goes dry, his palms sweat. Jack is yelling but Benny can’t really make out the words past the blood rushing in his ears. Benny stumbles backwards with every poke to his chest, until his back hits the concrete wall. 

Jack is in his face, shouting as the words finally start to become clearer. “... no care in the world! You can’t even listen to me, instead you’re panting over all these guys. Guys who could fucken kill you in a snap. Do you _want_ to be in prison for the rest of your life? Shape the fuck up and-”

“Are you trying to scare me straight?” Benny’s voice is low and whispered but Jack’s cuts off immediately. He looks up at Jack through thick lashes, pupils blown wide as his chest heaves. “Cause you’re scaring the straight right out of me.” He slyly reaches forward and grabs the waist of Jack’s orange jumpsuit. He didn’t have to reach far as Jack already had him nearly squished against the wall, a hand on either side of Benny’s head. Benny grabs the orange material and pulls their bodies closer together. 

Jack chuckles bitterly and shakes his head but doesn’t move away. “You don’t know what you’re getting into. You’d get wrecked.” His eyes seem to darken as his pupils widen and his brows lower. 

The threat only brings a smile to Benny’s face. “I’d beg for it the entire time.”

Jack seems like he’s going to say something else but a whistle blows. “File in!” A guard yells from the door. Jack leaps away from Benny, grabbing his arm instead and pulling him roughly towards the door. Benny bites his lip and follows excitedly. “Fifteen to lights out!”

The walk back to their cell is painfully quiet and so is the next hour. An hour they sit in silence, each on their respective bunks. Lights have been out for a while now, but it’s far from quiet as men talk to each other through their cells. 

The bunk shakes as Jack fidgets and Benny hears his voice. “Come sit down here. We need to talk.”

Benny doesn’t say anything, he just does as told, taking his pillow as he takes a seat on a cold concrete floor, looking up where Jack sits on the edge of his bed. “Man, look,” he sighs, “I get that it’s fun for you now, but you don’t want to be here long term. Especially not with the… wants you seem to have.”

Benny chuckles and shakes his head. “I know. I get a lot more action outside of here, anyway. I’m not going to be in prostitution forever; I’ll figure it out. I’ll stay out of here.”

“Well that takes care of those charges, I guess,” he says sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. “What about fighting? You said you fight a lot?”

“No,” he argues. “I don’t fight people. I defend and protect myself when attacked and do nothing more. I just get attacked a lot in my profession.”  
Jack chuckles at the word. “Profession,” he repeats. “You’re a pro at fucking, are you?” 

Benny shrugs innocently, pushing his pillow across the floor between Jack’s feet. He slinks over, kneeling on the pillow and watching Jack closely. Jack watches him just as intensely, not moving or speaking. “One of the best,” Benny assures confidently. “Wanna see for yourself?” Benny places his hands on Jack’s ankles, sliding up slowly, getting no resistance as his palms press against warm thighs. 

Jack swallows roughly, “We - we’re supposed to be talking about your behavior.” Jack jumps as Benny’s petite hand brushes over his crotch. 

“Do you not approve of my behavior?” He asks with a teasing pout. Benny leans forward, warm breath fanning over Jack’s lap as Benny presses plump lips against the half-hard bulge. He runs his hand down the entire length, still separated by bright flannel pajamas as he looks up at Jack’s flushed face. “Tell me what you think I should do differently.”

“Nothing,” Jack rasps quickly. “Fuck, don’t do anything differently.” 

Benny wasn’t sure of Jack’s feelings until then. He wasn’t sure until a large hand tangled into his dark curls, urging him forward. Benny takes the prompt. Both men had already changed into their pajamas and Benny is thankful he doesn’t have to deal with a jumpsuit right now so it’s easy to just reach up and grab his waistband, pulling pants and boxers down in one quick go. 

Jack is longer than Benny first thought, at what he would approximate is 6 inches, but it’s not the biggest he’s ever dealt with. It was a comfortable size and Benny couldn’t wait to get his mouth around it. He’s stopped though when Jack grabs his shirt, pulling him up to kiss him deeply. He scoots back onto the bed, laying out flat with Benny on top of him as he shoves his tongue down his throat. 

Benny straddles his waist, grinding his clothed ass against Jack’s exposed cock, Jack rutting up against him. Benny can’t stop himself, nor does he want to, as he slowly slides down Jack’s body, pushing up his shirt to mouth at the skin. One of Jack’s hands still grip Benny’s curls, getting slightly tighter as he moves down, enticing a deep groan from Benny. He pauses at Jack’s hip bones, looking up at Jack. Jack is watching Benny’s every movement with wide eyes, mouth open. “Do you know how long it’s been,” Benny asks in a whisper, “since I’ve had a good cock in my mouth? Too long.” 

The words go straight to Jack’s dick, his hips shifting up, chasing the friction Benny has yet to give him. Keeping eye contact, Benny reaches down with one hand and grips the base, holding it upright though he didn’t really need much help with that part. Without warning, he licks once up the length, moving painfully slow until he reaches the tip. He pauses once at the tip, locking eyes with Jack before he tips his head forward and takes the entire length in until his nose touches skin. Jack gasps, hips rutting up, only to shove his dick further down Benny’s throat. He stays for only a second before pulling off with a rough cough. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I-” Jack starts to apologize for the rough movement but Benny just shakes his head and takes him in again, this time moving his head up and down his length slowly, hollowing his cheeks, jerking whatever wasn’t in his mouth. He goes nose to base once more, holding it until his throat constricted around it, his face going red. 

Jack grabs Benny’s face and pulls him off, Benny sucking in a sharp gasp as soon as he was off his dick. His eyes are glossed over, cheeks flushed, lips red and swollen with spit dripping down his chin. The two stare at each other, both breathing hard, Benny more than Jack. “Fuck my mouth,” he begs. “Lay me down and just fuck my throat, please.”

And Jack can’t tell him no. He doesn’t want to say no. He nods silently, mouth slack and eyes wide as he stares as this sexual hellion, this absolute cockslut he got paired with. Benny cracks the biggest smile and switches positions with Jack, laying halfway down the bed, mouth open and tongue out as he waits. 

“What the fuck,” Jack curses, cupping Benny’s cheek with one hand and kissing him roughly, biting at his lip and licking into him. “Your mouth should be illegal.”

“We’re in prison,” Benny allows as Jack sucks at his collar bones, knowing the skin won’t show the next morning if he makes any marks. “Laws don’t apply to my mouth in here so you should just fuck it.”

“Fuck, you’re mouthy.” Jack is making no rush to put his dick back in Benny’s mouth and he’s starting to get antsy. Jack spends more time focused on kissing Benny, licking into his mouth, biting and sucking at his already swollen lips. Benny likes it as he kisses him back but he’d really like to use his mouth for something else. 

Benny pulls back and holds eye contact with Jack, faces only an inch apart as Jack supports his own weight over Benny’s body. “This is nice and all,” Benny whispers seductively, “but will you put your cock in my mouth, now?” He puts his hands on Jack’s hips, subtly pushing up over his head toward the top of the bed.

Jack holds his hips high enough that his dick hangs, just barely brushing Benny’s mouth until he opens wide and guides Jack’s hips down. Jack stops himself once he’s about half in, pulling back and repeating the thrust, but being easy with his movements as he watches Benny take him in. He pulls back out and Benny lifts his chin, looking backwards at Jack. “Jack,” he warns slowly, eyes dark and full of lust. “If you don’t put your dick in my esophagus in the next 30 seconds, I’m going to get annoyed.” With that, he puts his chin back down and sticks out his tongue, sinfully waiting. 

Jack slides in further, still holding back slightly. His hips move like he’s going to pull back again, but Benny wraps his arms around Jack’s waist and yanks him down, hips pushing his head into the mattress and he sighs in relief. Jack’s arms give under the weight of his upper body, his face pressing into the mattress just above Benny. He’s in Benny’s mouth as far as he can possibly go, still rolling his hips into his throat until Benny starts to cough and gag around the skin. 

Jack looks ready to cry, mouth fully slack, eyes wide and glossy, as he watches Benny take him. Benny gags for a solid ten seconds before Jack pulls back but he’s stopped by Benny, arms tightening around his waist, keeping Jack in this throat as he struggles for air. His face had gone red and the color creeps down into his chest, Jack forcibly pulls out of his mouth. 

His voice is much rougher than it was before as he sighs Benny’s name. “Fucken breathe,” he tells him. “Christ, don’t die for the dick.” 

Benny only narrows his eyes at him. “I’ll let you know when I need air,” is all he says, snapping his fingers twice and pointing towards his fucked out mouth expectantly.

Jack shakes his head, wondering briefly how the hell he was lucky enough to be in this situation, when Benny grabs his hips and pulls him to his face. The boy in blue hums in delight as Jack’s cock slides down his tongue. Benny places his hands flat on Jack’s lower back, pressing his hips to his face, hollowing his cheeks and using his tongue to his advantage as Jack thrusts in and out of his mouth. 

The noises coming from Benny are absolutely sinful, the moaning and the choking, the hums of satisfaction and the low whines of disapproval whenever Jack would vacate his throat. 

“Someone’s getting they dick sucked!” is shouted from the next cell over and a wave of laughter and congratulatory whoops sounded through the building. It only fueled Benny further. 

Jack is slowly coming undone, the side of his face pressed into the mattress as he watches Benny take him so nicely. His movements start to get messy and tired after a few minutes of loud gagging so Benny takes measures into his own hands. He wraps his arms completely around Jack’s waist, pulling him down and locking him to his face. Jack gasps as Benny swallows around him, his tongue pushing against his dick and his throat tightening momentarily. 

“Fuck, Ben,” Jack rasps. The boy still hasn’t taken a breath as Jack continues to thrust into him. It’s deeper than it is rough. “I’m gonna cum,” he warns and moves to pull away from Benny. 

Benny only tightens his arms and shakes his head slightly, wide eyes looking upwards to watch Jack’s face as he shoots down his throat. The moment is pure bliss to Benny, watching Jack come undone from only his mouth. 

Jack rolls off of Benny, laying on the bed next to him, breathing heavy, Benny breathing just as hard if not harder. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and sits up with a smile on his face. 

“Thank you,” he rasps, his voice strangled by his fucked out throat. 

“Did you just say thank you?” Jack asks with disbelief, propping himself up on his elbows to stare at the younger. 

“Yeah,” he smiles, “I did.” He doesn’t say anything but climbs off Jack’s bed. 

As he grabs his pillow from the floor, Jack asks quietly, “Do you want me to…” he trails off, eyes pointing at the obvious bulge in Benny’s pants. 

Benny only shakes his head and smiles sweetly. “No, that’s okay. Sleep well.”

Jack doesn’t know what to say as Benny crawls onto his top bunk. Neither say anything else to the other, both lay silently on their own bunk. 

At least an hour has passed, Jack can’t sleep. He lays slumped into his pillows, just staring at the bunk above him as if he could see the boy on top of it. The bunk shifts as Benny moves. Jack hears the unmistakable sound of Benny’s high whine and the bunk begins to move rhythmically, only slightly that if Jack wasn’t awake, he wouldn’t even know. 

“Fuck,” Benny curses softly into the silence and Jack’s head swims.

Jack slowly gets off the bed as silently as he could, standing up to be face-level with a bare ass, Benny’s pants kicked down to his feet as he lays towards the wall and jerks himself. “Oh, Benny,” Jack coos and Benny’s head slowly turns to look at Jack. His hand doesn’t even pause it’s movement. “Let me take care of you.” Benny nods silently and starts to turn to his back but Jack stops him. “Stay right there,” he says quietly. He grabs Benny’s petite waist and pulls his ass back so it hangs off the bed by just a few inches, right in his face. Jack kneads his cheeks for a second before just diving in. Benny gasps and thrusts backwards towards Jack as soon as his tongue touches his rim. 

Benny lays on his side, staring over his shoulder to where Jack is buried between his cheeks, as he still jerks his own painfully hard cock with one hand, the other coming back to slide into Jack’s short dark hair, urging him in closer. Jack nuzzles in, tongue opening Benny up, kissing and sucking anything his mouth touched.

Jack pulls back suddenly, much to Benny’s dismay, but makes up for it when he moves to the end of the bunk and motions Benny towards him with the wave of a finger. “Get on your back,” he commands. When Benny takes too long to get settled, Jack slides his hands under his ass and pulls him forward, his breath fanning over Benny’s exposed hole. Jack places Benny’s thighs over his shoulders, kissing his inner thigh intimately. 

Benny whines at the feeling and purrs Jack’s name, hips lifting, just begging to feel Jack’s tongue again. Jack happily obliges, nose to taint as his tongue licks past his rim. Benny is a vocal man when he feels real pleasure. And he is talking up a storm. Chants of “Oh, Jack,” and “yes,” and “so good,” are whispered into the air. 

Benny has forgotten his own dick completely as both hands reach down to softly run through Jack’s hair, gazing down to watch in awe as Jack ate him like a hot meal. “Sit up,” Jack orders suddenly, reaching up to grab the chest of Benny’s shirt.

Benny comes forward, bent nearly in half to kiss Jack with his legs still over the man’s shoulders. They make out for a minute before Benny lays back again, waiting. Jack then dips his head again to delve into Benny’s hole, his fingers brushing at Benny’s lips. Benny gets the hint, taking two fingers in and sucking on them until Jack pulls away. The tip of his finger plays at his entrance and the words are leaving Jack’s mouth as he works his finger in, kissing his skin between each sentence. “Such a good boy,” he rasps. “So good, Benny. It’s like you were born for this.”

The scene in front of him belongs in a pornography museum. Benny’s ass swallows his finger so beautifully, dark blown out eyes starting at him with pure bliss, lips still swollen and pink from their earlier assault. Jack is in such awe at the sight that he’s not even doing anything anymore, his hand still as he stares as Benny. He isn’t aware he had stopped until Benny is begging him to go on. His hips are thrusting down towards Jack desperately, his voice light. “Please, Jack, fuck, please, do something. Do something. I need it, Jack, please.”

That’s all the prompting Jack needed, sliding his finger knuckle deep with a slick twist, eliciting a deep groan from Benny as he throws his head back. “I can’t remember,” Benny pants, “the last time anything felt this good. You’re amazing, Jack.” His breath is caught in his throat when Jack’s mouth joins his finger, working the tight rim. Benny’s hand starts rapidly tapping Jack’s bicep. He almost pulls away but Benny had a different idea. “Add another,” he begs. “Another finger. I can take it.”

Jack chuckles, slightly amused and definitely turned on by Benny’s desperation. “You weren’t lying. You really are a slut, aren’t you?”

Quick and high, “Yes, yes, one more, please. Just one more.”

Jack likes to think he’s a pretty nice guy, so he does Benny this favor, fitting his first finger in with his middle, curling them against his walls. Benny’s hands clench at Jack’s hair as his hips thrust in tune with Jack’s fingers. 

His untouched cock sits swollen in Jack’s face so he wraps a hand around the base, but Benny slaps him away. “Why not?” Jack asks quietly; it’s not harsh, but innocently inquizitive. 

“Just your fingers,” Benny gasps in answer, “I wanna cum from just your fingers.”

“Your wish is my command.” Jack thrusts his fingers in deeper, his mouth stimulating the outside of Benny’s hole. Benny cries out in pleasure and squirms beneath him. His hand grips Jack’s on the mattress and his heels dig into Jack’s back.

“That’s it,” Benny cries in a whisper, “Fuck, Jack. Yes. You’re so fucking good.”

And just as promised, Benny twitches and cums, dick untouched on the stomach of his shirt, clenching around Jack’s fingers.  
“Oh, Jack,” Benny whines through his high. “Thank you, Jack, oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh, that was amazing.”

Jack removes his fingers and Benny sits up and immediately grabs his wrist, taking Jack’s fingers in his mouth, cleaning them with his tongue. Jack curses under his breath. “You are sinful, Benny. Absolutely sinful.” His large tattooed hand cups Benny’s jaw, thumb dragging along his bottom lip. “What are we going to do with you?”

The question is rhetorical but Benny answers anyway. “Whatever you want for the next two nights.”

Jack guides him down and kisses him, Benny kissing him back just as deeply, each with the taste of the other on their mouths. Jack is the one to break away, though still holding him close with his hand on his jaw. “Get some rest, Ben. They’re going to wake us up at 6 and if you aren’t dressed and downstairs by 6:30, you don’t get to eat.” He pats Benny’s bare thigh and kisses him once more with just a quick peck before he returns to his own bunk. 

\---

The sound of the mechanical doors opening is what wakes Benny up. “Fuck,” he groans as the loud roar of voices invades his conscious mind. “How are they this loud this early?”

Jack lays below on his own bunk, already awake and changed into a clean jumpsuit. Benny’s voice is extremely gravelly now in his wake; Jack wasn’t sure if it was thick with sleep or if it was from the night before but he’d be thinking about it all day. “It never stops.” 

Benny swings his head over the side of the bunk, looking upside down at Jack. Jack’s mouth parts when he sees how Benny’s lips are still slightly swollen and dark. “I couldn’t survive in here. Too loud.”

“That’s the thing that bothers you about prison? The volume?” Jack playfully rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He reaches to the desk against the wall and grabs a clean stack of blue and hands it to Benny. “Here,” he offers with a coy grin, “a clean jumpsuit since you’re still wearing a cum-soaked tee-shirt.”

Benny laughs and leans even further off the bed to show his bare shoulder. “I’m not wearing anything,” he says with a wink.

“What did you do with your shirt?”

“Used it as a pillow.” Jack's eyes go wide and Benny bursts out laughing. “No, I’m just kidding. That’d be fucken kinky, though, wouldn’t it?” Benny finally gets off his bunk, standing in only his boxers, jumpsuit in his hands but he makes no immediate move to put it on,aware of the gaze on him. 

Jack lays on his bed, hands behind his head and his ankles crossed, his eyes rake over Benny’s body, seeing it in the light for the first time and basking in its soft glow. He opens his mouth to say something but cuts off when another inmate leans into the doorway of their cell. Benny recognizes him from the cell next to theirs. Likely the man that hollered last night. 

He very obviously looks Benny up and down before asking, “So, what did you two get up to last night?”

Jack immediately starts in on a denial but Benny smiles at the man innocently, his voice sounding impossibly innocent, “I sucked his dick like it was a tank of oxygen and I was stranded at the bottom of the Pacific. What did you do last night?” 

“Holy shit, nothing nearly as fun as that. You sharing?”

Jack is disgusted and feels an anger boil under his skin, feeling the urge to stand in front Benny and protect him. But Benny is a smart man, and he winks at the inmate. “You have to pay to play. And I’m an expensive prize.”

The man shakes his head disappointedly. “Man, if you could teach my girl to swallow cock like that, _phew_. I’d owe you my life.” He locks eyes with Jack. “You’re a lucky man. Fucken oxygen tank,” he laughs as he saunters away from the cell.

Benny turns to Jack with a teasing grin, ready to crack a joke but Jack beats him to it. “If that catches on and people start calling me that, I’m coming after you,” he threatens playfully with a pointed finger. “Now put some damn clothes on before some other gross fuck ogles you like meat.”

“Are you jealous?” He asks, but does as told and fits his jumpsuit over his slender body. “Are you trying to stake a claim on me?” Jack fish-mouths and his cheeks flush. Benny continues before Jack can defend himself. “Kind of sexy if you ask me,” he purrs as he slinks forward, bending down to whisper with his lips grazing Jack’s earlobe. “Dominant men get me hard.” He takes Jack’s hand and places it on the inside of his thigh against his semi. “I’m going to be like this all day with you around.”

Jack doesn’t answer. His eyes are trained on the top of Benny’s chest where the top three buttons of Benny’s jumpsuit are undone, just slightly showing a purple mark. He just reaches up and buttons the lowest one, hiding away that part of his chest. 

“What’d you do that for?” Benny asks with a pout. “I like it that way.” He moves to undo it but Jack grabs his wrist.

“Leave it.”

Benny smiles widely and bites his bottom lip. “That’s what I’m fucken talking about.” He leans down once more and kisses Jack, sucking on his bottom lip. “I don’t want to keep my mouth off of you.”

Jack groans and reluctantly pushes Benny away from him. “Okay, you have to get the fuck off of me. I’m getting out of here in like a month. I’ll definitely get my date pulled if I get caught fucking you. Hold yourself together until the fucking door is closed, you cockslut.”

Benny pouts but does back off with a wink. “Really looking forward to lights-out, then.”

Breakfast is called a few minutes later, both men walking down to grab their trays and return to their cells. “Do you ever eat down with everyone else?” Benny asks. “Or just by yourself every day?”

Jack shrugs as he eats. “I used to sit down there, but with my date coming up, I’ve just been keeping my head down and avoiding anyone else. So, I mean, I’ve been doing this for a couple months.”

“Does it get lonely?”

Jack laughed bitterly. “Every second of jail is lonely.” Jack watches Benny as he swipes his finger in a pool of syrup, sucking the finger into his mouth. He doesn’t do it in a teasing way, doesn’t even look at Jack while he does it, but the sight of it brings a question to the tip of Jack’s tongue. “You’re really a prostitute?” Jack asks. “What’s that like?”

Benny shakes his head, “I don’t like the term prostitute. I don’t go on the corner and sell my body. I work for an agency that takes really good care of me. I can be paid for more than just sex, too. I mean, it’s mostly sex, but sometimes I’m hired to be someone’s arm candy somewhere or to just go on a date. There’s a surprising amount of customers that just want someone to hold them and talk to them.”

“So, like an escort, then?”

“Yeah. Yeah, kind of like an escort.”

“I heard that line of work is really dangerous, though.”

The smaller man shrugs. “It can be. But like I said, my agency takes care of me. They, I mean, obviously take some of the money I make, but they still pay me really well, and the money they take just goes back to us. They spend it on, like, our doctor visits and self defense classes, condoms and birth control, just anything we need.”

Self-defense classes takes him slightly off guard; Jack knows the sex business can get violent, but he didn’t expect the equivalent of a pimp to supply self-defence classes. “Oh, well that’s not bad, I guess. But it’ll still land you in here for a long time, Ben.” His tone is serious, not with the jealous edge it had earlier, when he tries to convince him, “I don’t think you should do that anymore. It’ll either put you behind bars or put you six feet under.

Benny looks bashfully down at the tray in his lap, picking at his cuticles. “I - I know, but I just really like it. I like the rush, I like the attention. I also really like getting fucked at least once a day.”

“Well, fuck, you can easily find someone willing to fuck you day after day. Hell, I’d sign right up for that. But relying on strangers and their money to do that for you, is going to kill you, one way or another. You don’t want to end up in here, Ben, really. It may seem fun now but it won’t stay that way. You have to change your ways to stay out of here and…” he trails off when he realizes Benny’s eyes are focused on him, but they’re blank and glazed over, his lips just slightly parted. “Benny,” he snaps his fingers in front of him.   
Benny blinks rapidly and shakes his head. ‘Sorry,” he mumbles. “I stopped listening after you said you’d fuck me every day.”

\---

Benny sits in the plastic chair, hands folded on the table in front of him, Jack sitting at his side, matching his posture. There are 3 men in orange standing in front of them, hands behind their backs and Evan stands slightly in front of them. 

“These men,” he starts, addressing the boys in blue “have all been in here since they were your age. In and out of the systems for years. Doing the same shit y’all dumb asses have been doing. They’re gonna talk to you. They have offered their time and you best respect them. You can be mouthy if you want, but pay mind to the fact that there are no uniforms in this room. Understand? Good. Rookie,” he says to one of them. “Start us off.”

A short chubby white boy nods and steps forward. “Name’s Caleb. Yeah, looks familiar, doesn’t it?” He asks the teenager with the same name. They even had the same build and looked vaguely similar. “This is where you’re headed, kid. You’re looking at your future. They call me Rookie, as you heard. Started off as Rookie Badass but was shortened along the way. You know why they called me Rookie Badass? Cause I thought I was a big bad motherfucker, just like all of you, but it turned out that I wasn’t shit. On the streets, I was a badass. Startin’ fights, stealing, dealing. But in here, nothing but a rookie. Got my ass beat in my first week ‘cause I thought I was hard. Any one of these motherfuckers could take you out. 

“Y’all don’t want to end up here,” Rookie continues. “I _promise_ you. I ain’t here to scare you into being good. I’m not gonna scream at you and threaten to make you my bitch or whatever. I’m just trying to tell y’all. Trying to warn you. Change your ways. Before it’s too late and you’re in here like me. I’m fucking 24, been behind bars, in and out, since I was 13. They’re lean on you when you’re a fucking kid but y’all about to be adults. What’s three months in juvie now is a year or more in here once your fucken eighteenth birthday hits. Get the fuck out while you can. Rob?”

A buff dark skinned man, the second in line, stepped forward. He had a hard face as he takes a few seconds to stare intimidatingly at the boys with his arms crossed. “I’m not here to be your fucken friend like Rookie is. I’m not about to be nice to you, and ask you to shape up. You guys are almost adults. You know you’re doing stupid shit-”

“Why do they call you Rob?” One of the teenagers asks, cutting him off.

Rob pauses and glares at the kid. “They call me Rob because that’s my fucken name. Don’t fucken interrupt me. I’ll give you a pass this time, but do it again and you’ll eat my fucken fist. Understood? Good. Now, like I was fucken saying. You’re grown. Time you act like it. Stand the fuck up,” he barks at the kid that interrupted him and he does as told, shooting out of his seat and standing tall. Rob stares at him for a second, sneering and shakes his head. “Nah, sit down.” He sits. Rob starts to walk away but changes his mind and turns back. “On second thought, stand the fuck back up.” He stands and Rob gets right in his face. “You see how easy is it for me to make you do what I want? You wouldn’t last in here. You’d be someone’s bitch in less than a day, you soft fucker. You aren’t shit. You’re fucking worthless, just like the rest of us lowlifes in here.”

Benny sits back and rubs his hands down his thighs, groaning quietly. Jack looks at him with concern and Benny just shakes his head with a sigh. “Fuck. Will you talk to me like that tonight?” Jack can only nod silently. 

“I’ve only got one thing more to say to you fuckers. You keep making these dumb fucken choices, you’re gonna be in here for good, and I’ll be here waiting. This is your warning. I’ll remember all fucken ten faces and if I see you again, I’m coming after you. I see you again and it’s hands on sight since you can’t fucken learn.” He scoffs and turns away from the boys with a shake of his head. “Pathetic.”

Benny lets out a deep breath and leans forward on his hands, just the thought of that tone coming from Jack in the dark of the night getting him excited. 

“Ben?” Jack asks quietly, leaning over to grab his eyeline. Benny’s pupils are blown as he looks at Jack through his lashes. “Fuck,” he whispers. “You’re a monster.”

Benny only smiles lazily at him. “Yeah, that’s good. Use that later.” 

The third man steps forward. An old man, hair completely white with age introduces himself as, “Vet. I am 71 years old. I have been inside these walls since I was 20. 51 years and counting. I’m in here til they day I die, boys. I wake up every day, every day for the past 51 years, and every day for the rest of my life, knowing that I will never see anything else but these walls. You don’t want this. You don’t want this life.

“They call me Vet for 3 main reasons.” He counts them off on his fingers. “I am a vet. Active during ‘67 to ‘69. If you paid attention in school, you know what big war was happening during that time. Second reason is because I am the oldest man here. I’ve been here longer anyone in this building, even longer than the warden. I am a veteran inmate. The third reason is because I put men down like dogs. You know who I mostly targeted? Woman beaters. And a lot of you like to hit the important women in your life. Your moms, your grandmas, your sisters. Fucking shit, all of you. If you come behind these walls for real, and I know you’ve been hitting on women, I’ll kill ya. I’m already here for life, another charge won’t bother me. And that’s all you are to me. Another target, another charge. Don’t let me see you back in here.”

Evan comes back up once Vet sits back down, addressing the blue suits. “I really hope y’all take us seriously. I appreciate y’all mostly being silent and listening to them. Y’all can do better, okay? Every single one of you. You don’t deserve this life. You’re still young and we’re just hoping we can get this into your head before it’s too late for you. You can still choose to turn it around from here. You’re getting one last chance to get it right. Don’t fuck it up.”

With that, he ends the small meeting and everyone scatters to do their own thing. Benny 

and Jack don’t move immediately, staying at the table as the others move around them. They’re sitting in a corner table with their backs to the wall and Benny looks around cautiously before pressing his own palm down firmly on his half-hard cock and growls low in the back of his throat. He moves his hand more purposefully over the blue material. Benny leans forward on the table, laying his head on his right arm, his left hand sneaking into the gap between two buttons, as he looks to Jack at his left, hiding his face from the rest of the room

Jack sits back and gazes at Benny, oblivious to his actions. The thin line of blue iris surrounding large pupils and the light pink gracing his cheeks should have been enough to tip Jack off. It isn’t until Benny’s eyes flutter close and his mouth goes slack that Jack realizes. “What are you do- oh, my god. Are you serious? _Benjamin_. You’re seriously fucking touching yourself in the middle of a crowded jail block. Are you insane?”

The reprimands don’t shame Benny; in fact, it does the exact opposite. His face flushes more as it shows his bliss. “Keep going,” he sighs. 

Jack leans on his hand and gazes down at Benny, Benny’s face twisted in satisfaction. “Such a slut,” he purrs. “Can’t even make it to lunch without touching yourself. Dirty Benny. I can’t fucking believe you. Won’t even wait until you’re alone. You’re so desperate you have to jerk yourself in front of a hundred men that would _wreck_ you. In front of one that already has and will again.” 

Benny bites his own arm, whining softly against his skin as his eyes fall closed, his hand moving faster under the table. “Oh, Jack,” he whispers. “I’m gonna…”

“Open your eyes,” Jack commands quietly. “Look at me while you cum.”

Benny opens his eyes, coming almost as soon as their eyes lock. His jaw goes wide, the blue of his iris almost disappearing as he keeps his eyes on Jack. Benny pulls his hand out, fingers smeared in cum, and he cleans them with his tongue sinfully, gaze unwavering as Jack watches his every movement.

Benny sits back and Jack pulls him close to whisper directly into his ear. “I’m going to ruin you tonight, just like I know you like it, for doing this to me. You can’t just jerk yourself and lick your own fucking cum right in front of me and get away with it.”

Benny comes back just as strong. “If you think this is the last time I touch my dick today, you’re crazy.”

\---

They sit in their cell shortly after Benny’s episode downstairs. Benny lays stretched out on Jack’s bed, his feet in Jack’s lap where he sits at the end. 

“So, how old are you?” Benny asks out of the blue. “I mean, you look like you should be nineteen-twenty, but you could also be thirty and I’m just not really sure.”

Jack chuckles and looks sideways at Benny. “I’m twenty. I look thirty?”

Benny shrugs. “Only kind of. I think it’s all the tattoos,” he motions toward his covered arms, the black ink winding up his next and covering most of his back. “Your face is young but the amount of ink in you makes you seem older.”

Jack frowns dramatically and looks down at his own skin, “Do you not like them? I thought they made me look cool.” 

“Is that why you got them?” Benny asks with a laugh. “To look cool?”

“Definitely,” he affirms with a nod, then more seriously, “No, most of them actually mean something.” 

A medallion-looking piece covers the back of his left hand, the hand currently resting on Benny’s thigh. “What’s that one?” Benny asks, fingers tracing the shaded skull. 

Jack looks down at the piece, smiling softly. “Have you seen Pirates of the Carribean? Well, it’s a reference from that movie with a - a friend of mine.” He pauses, Benny just watching his face closely. He doesn’t want to push Jack into talking but he does want to know more about him. Jack takes it upon himself, opening up willingly. He sighs heavily, dropping his chin to his chest and squeezing Benny’s thigh nervously. “Right, so, this friend. He was like my best friend growing up. Uhm, Max, Maxwell Byrd. We had met, like, young, in school and just - we connected. We bonded and just became the best of friends. His family was my family and mine was his. I shared all my secrets with him, and his with me, you know. He was the only person that really knew me and - and accepted me.” 

He sighs again, this obviously being a heavy topic for him. Benny scoots down the mattress to hold Jack’s arm comfortingly. He presses a soft kiss to the crown of his shoulder, rubbing his arm in assurance, silently telling him it’s okay and that he’s there. Jack’s free hand comes to tangle in Benny’s curls, kissing his forehead and just lingering on him for a few seconds before continuing. 

“So, Max had a secret, which I knew. His parents knew. A lot of people knew, actually, so it wasn’t so much of a secret anymore. But not everyone liked his… secret. He - he was bullied a lot. Horrible things were said to him daily and I - I tried to - to help him, to get him through it.” His voice cracks and tears pool at his lashes. He blinks hard and coughs into his shoulder away from Benny. Benny pulls himself closer to his side in response, kissing his arm again before resting his head against his shoulder. He doesn’t say anything and just lets Jack take his time, think through his thoughts and his feelings.  
“Anyway, uhm, he - he killed himself when we were 15. That’s kind of when I started going down this bad road, you know? Started getting in trouble with the law. But, uhm, his favorite series was the _Pirates of the Carribean_ and we watched it all the time together. It’s - it’s the medallion from the movies. Quite a few on this arm are related to him and to those movies, actually. They were a big part of my life growing up.” He nods with finality, not yet looking at Benny but giving him a caring squeeze. 

“Thanks for sharing that with me,” Benny whispers earnestly. He fingers trace the tattoos as he holds onto Jack’s arm, the ships and compass and medallion now making more sense. “I like learning about you. I want to know more.”

“Like what?” Jack asks with a raspy voice, throat thick with emotion.

“Whatever you’re comfortable telling me. Literally anything you want to tell me.”

“I have nothing to hide,” Jack says, shrugging the one shoulder not supporting Benny’s head. He says it like it doesn’t mean anything, but it really means much more than he’s saying. 

“Can I know about your family?”

Jack sucks in a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks anxiously. “Ooh, going for the big guns right away, huh?”

“You don’t have-”

“No, I want to,” Jack says with a shake of his head. A warm feeling spreads through his chest knowing that Benny isn’t going to push him into anything he doesn’t want. “So, I don’t - I don’t actually - uh, I don’t have contact with my biological family anymore. My - my family is, uhm, the Byrds. They - they took me in as their own, before Max’s death, and even more so afterwards.” 

Benny doesn’t know who the Byrds are, other than Jack’s best friend’s family, and ultimately his family. He hasn’t met them or talked to them or even know their names, but he feels intense gratitude for them. He feels thankful that Jack had them in his life when his own family was absent. 

“After - after Max died, I - I came out to my family. I told them that I was bisexual but had a stronger preference for guys, that it was very likely I would be with a guy one day. They - uh - they immediately rejected me. The Byrds - they were there for me, accepted me like they accepted Max. But I didn’t really - I didn’t come to them when I needed them. Instead, I turned toward - toward crime. Stealing, fighting, drugs. I haven’t talked to them since I got in here.”

“You haven’t called them?” Benny asks, hanging on to his every word. “I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.”

Jack shrugs his one shoulder again, looking to where Benny stares back up at him through dark lashes. “I - I guess I just assumed they wouldn’t. I mean, I know they care about me. But I’m sure they’re not proud of, of, of this,” he generalizes with a motion to the cell around them. “I don’t want - I don’t like disappointing them and I just _know_ they’re disappointed about where I am. The things I’ve done.” He swallows hard and shakes his head, tucking his chin to his chest. He sniffles quietly.

“But you haven’t talked to them,” Benny counters, not harsh, but in more of a helpful tone as he adds, “You won’t know if you don’t try.”

“I’m scared,” he admits quietly and the tone hammers a split right through the center of Benny’s heart. 

Benny wants nothing more than to hug Jack as close as he can, to wrap his arms around the bigger man. He wants to shelter Jack’s heart behind his own ribs, to protect it from anything that wants to do him harm. He settles for snaking an arm around Jack’s waist, Jack responding by slipping his arm from Benny’s grasp and around his shoulders instead, holding each other close. “That’s okay to be scared,” Benny says in a whisper. Benny knows he can be brave enough for the both of them but he leaves it unsaid, instead changing the subject. “What did you do to end up here, anyway?”

“Assault,” Jack answers quickly, grateful under the surface for Benny’s topic change. “And lots of it. I was, uh, I was mainly targeting a specific group of people, me and a couple buddies of mine. I mean, I had other charges that were going to eventually land me here, but that’s what did me in. The - the fighting.”

“Who did you target,” he asks, almost afraid of the answer but Jack takes him by surprise. 

“Well, I kind of teamed up with this biker gang, actually. Have you seen Rescue Ink? The biker gang that went around and took care of animal abusers. Well, we were kind of like that. Except we didn’t have cameras following us around so we - we beat the lesson into them a lot of the time. We - we would track down dog fighting rings and shit like that. And we’d break them up. We’d end it. Now I’m here for that ‘cause we really hurt a lot of people.”

“But only people that deserved it, right?” 

Jack nods. “Yeah, definitely. Should have seen what they were doing. Well, no you shouldn’t have, because it was horrible and disgusting. But - but we made it stop.”

“Good,” Benny says proudly and he really is proud. He has always been a firm believer that you only fight if you’re in the right and the other person deserves what they get. 

“Can I ask you something?” Jack asks in return and Benny nods eagerly. “What happened the last time you were arrested? Like the most recent.”

Benny hums as he thinks back to that day. He was arrested with blood covered knuckles, adrenaline coursing through his body. “Oh,” he says with a bitter chuckle. “I was arrested for almost killing someone. They eventually let me off on account of self-defense, but yeah. I was almost charged with attempted murder at 17.”

The look Jack gives him is a wild one, not expecting that serious of an offense. He expected maybe a minor drug charge or shop-lifting or something similar. “You almost killed someone?”

Benny shrugs sheepishly. He doesn’t really like to talk about it in that way. “It was never my intention. I just - it was a business transaction gone wrong, you know? I was paid to - to just accompany this older woman to a dinner. You know, cute little arm candy me. But she wanted to go down a sexual road afterwards. I refused, obviously, for two reasons.” The entire time he talks, he avoids eye contact, turning his head away instead to press his nose into the crook of Jack’s elbow. He finds it easier to speak when he isn’t matching Jack’s intense gaze. He isn’t happy with what he did that night and doesn’t really like talking about it. He tends to cry when just thinking about it and he’d definitely cry if he met Jack’s eyes right now.

“Reason number one, I have never and don’t want to ever sleep with a woman. Second, she didn’t pay for sexual activity so it wasn’t happening regardless. So, on my way out, she had a guy jump me and try to get her money back from that night. I don’t - I don’t remember much of what happened. I just kind of blacked out and - and by the time I realized what was going on…” Benny pauses and sighs heavily, his breath shaking with nerves, throat burning with emotion.

Jack hugs him closer and kisses the back of his head as Benny still looks away from him. He rubs his arm comfortingly, not saying anything but just being a strong presence for him. 

“I think two guys were holding me on the ground while a cop cuffed me. Or maybe it was three guys and a cop. I don’t really remember. I do, though, remember that guy just… laying on the ground.” Benny shakes his head and brings his knees up to his chest, taking Jack’s hand to pull his arm tighter around him, pressing his lips to the back of his hand. “I - I don’t do that kind of thing to people but - but I had done a bit of coke that night.”

Jack’s stomach drops as Benny stifles a sob. He wraps his other arm around the boy’s shoulders and holds him closer to his chest. 

Benny’s shaky hand wipes a stray tear from his own cheek. “I mean, I fight people sometimes, but never that bad. Never that close to - to - you know. Uhm, but the other guys there testified for me. They saw him attack me first so - so I got off on self defense. Just barely. Luckily my agency also has really good lawyers for this sort of thing so I - I was lucky, that’s all I can say.” He finishes with a shrug and a sniff, voice low as he curls impossibly further into Jack.

He’s shifted over Jack’s thigh by now, sitting between his thighs, curled sideways into his chest, arms linked around his waist. Jack hugs his arms around Benny’s shoulders, frequently kissing the top of his head in the silence. 

“I have another question,” Benny says after a few minutes. “If that’s okay.” 

“Yeah,” Jack nods immediately. “Of course.”

“What - uh, I mean, um, did you ever actually come out to the Byrds? Or tell them why you left your parents?”

It wasn’t a question Jack expected. “W-well, no, no, I didn’t. But I think they knew.”

“Why didn’t you tell them?” 

Jack pauses, his mind running laps around that question. “I - I don’t know. I guess,” he sighs heavily. “I guess I didn’t want that rejection again. You - you’re actually the first person I’ve told since I was 15,” he admits with a bitter laugh. “And I only did cause I knew you wouldn’t reject me for liking guys after you had my dick in your lungs. I’m sure - I’m sure there are people that know or at least have a hunch, like the Byrds, but I really - I just haven’t told anyone. I don’t - I don’t go out with guys in public. I’m not affectionate with guys in public, even when I want to be.”

Benny swallows past a lump in his throat. This line of questioning has been going so well, Jack opening up much more than he expected but he didn’t want to test those boundaries. Benny didn’t want to push his limits but he wanted to know more. “You can stop me if you feel like I’m going too far,” he puts out there, “have you dated? Like, guys, in, like, a relationship with one. A guy.”

Jack doesn’t even hesitate. “Just once. There was a guy I met when I was 17. That lasted for like eight or nine months. But again, we never were affectionate in public or in private. I don’t know. It wasn’t, like, serious, though, I guess. Really only a sexual thing. Just a secret fling that lasted a while.”

Benny’s mouth dries as the next question inches its way to the tip of his tongue. His heartbeat picks up rapidly and it’s noticed by Jack who begins to rub his back soothingly. “What’s up, Ben? What did you just think about?”

“I dunno,” he shrugs, “just selfish thoughts.”

“Selfish? How so?”

Benny shrugs again, tucking his head under Jack’s chin, ear pressed to his heart as he quietly admits, “I was just wondering if you ever held a guy like this. Like me.” He hopes for a second that Jack didn’t even hear him, that he could pretend he said something else and the subject could change before Benny hurt himself. 

But Jack heard him. “No,” he answers honestly. “I haven’t. Not a guy or a girl. I don’t - I don’t know if it’s the security of being in here, away from the real world, but I’ve never been this open or this… affectionate with anyone. You do something to me, Benny, that I don’t quite understand. That no one’s ever done to me before and I’m not just talking about the god-like things you do to my dick. I’m scared of what you could do to me, but it also excites me, and I’ve heard that’s a good sign.” Jack hooks a finger under Benny’s chin, lifting him to kiss him passionately. They don’t say anything more but it’s not the end of the conversation as their bodies do the talking for them.

\--- 

“This food really isn’t as bad as people say it is,” Benny says as they eat their lunch. “I mean it’s not great. Pretty bland. But it’s not gross.”

“Eat it every day for a year,” Jack answers with a roll of his eyes. “You’ll change your mind.”

They didn’t take the trays to the cell this time, sitting in the same corner as they did earlier. It was Benny’s idea to try to stay out of the cell unless it’s lights-out. He was pushing Jack to be a little bit more social. Jack isn’t sure how he feels about it, but he does what Benny asks of him. Sitting out earlier and playing cards wasn’t horrible so Jack is a little more open to socializing, as long as Benny is right there with him. 

“Well, for three days, it’s fine.” Benny smiles over at Jack, both of them just grinning at each other. Jack’s grin, though, falters only slightly at his words. “What?” Benny asks, noticing the miniscule twitch at the corner of his mouth. 

Jack just shakes his head, left hand moving under the table to rest lightly on Benny’s thigh - his favorite part of Benny to hold. “Three days just isn’t enough.” 

Benny doesn’t say anything, only leaning his head to rest it on Jack’s shoulder briefly. He doesn’t let it linger, eyes on the guard near the door. The uniformed woman is looking toward the other side of the room but Benny isn’t taking the chance. Jack’s warm hand stays on his leg as they finish their meals in a comfortable silence. 

The trays are returned and the two sit back at the table as the other inmates eat their lunches around them, talking and laughing, playing whatever games were available, watching the one T.V in the corner of the room. Benny and Jack are still at the table, sitting closer than they were before, shoulders just barely touching, thighs pressed close together, Benny’s ankle hooked around Jack’s. Jack’s hand is back on the inside of Benny’s knee as they talk. 

Jack had been a bit more touchy since their talk after breakfast and Benny is loving every second of it. Comforting grips on his thigh, soft fingertips trailing along the curve of his spine, absentminded kisses to his shoulder or to his head. And Benny returns the affection, always touching Jack in some way. They just couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, whether it’s in a sexual way or not. 

“You’re joking, right? You did not!” Jack laughs loudly

“But I did!” Benny insists. “I swear I met him. Zayn Malik is a fucking Greek God, Jack, I’m not kidding. He’s even more beautiful in person. I’ll show you the picture someday.” 

That simple sentence held a lot behind it. ‘I’ll show you a picture someday’ heavily implies they’ll see each other again after release and that prospect excites both men, setting their hearts into a frenzy. 

“I’ve got to see that,” Jack says with a smile. “I don’t believe you.”

Benny shakes his head but smiles impossibly wider. “You’ll eat your words, Jack Holly, just you wait.” He shakes a finger teasingly in Jack’s face and he nips at Benny’s fingertip playfully. 

“I’d rather eat you,” Jack whispers, leaning in closer to Benny’s ear so that his lips just brush at the soft skin. 

A shiver runs down Benny’s spine and he winks. “You can do that tonight.”

Jack squeezes his knee, leaning closer to Benny, his voice low and raspy when he says, “You’re gonna be the end of me, Ben, I swear.”

Benny’s hand moves unders the table to softly run his fingers over Jack’s hardening cock. Jack jolts in his seat and looks at Benny with wild eyes. “What the fuck are you doing?” He doesn’t move from Benny's hand to try to stop him; in fact, he leans only slightly closer, his larger hand pulling Benny’s leg closer to his.

Benny smiles teasingly, tracing the hardening girth with light touches. “What do you think?”

“You’re trying to fucking kill me, I think.”

“Quite the opposite,” Benny says as his palm presses down harder against Jack. “Trying to make you feel alive.” He pops the lowest button of Jack’s jumpsuit, his hand slipping between the material. His fingers dance teasingly along warm flesh.

Jack lets out a heavy sigh as Benny grabs him fully, using his precome to lubricate his movements. His eyes flutter close momentarily at the pleasure, absolutely loving the way Benny moves against him. 

Benny works Jack’s cock slowly at first, taking his time as his hand moves along his entire length, watching Jack’s face closely. Jack’s dark eyes stare back at him, pupils blown wide, his mouth slightly parted, cheeks gaining a light pink blush as heat rises to his face. 

Jack looks to the door, no guard in sight as they finally left the block with the empty lunch trays, so he turns back to Benny, grabbing his chin lightly to give him a quick kiss. He leans back but keeps his hand on the back of Benny’s chair while his hand stays in Benny’s hair, long fingers playing with his curls. His hips shift slightly up into Benny’s hand, eyes fluttering closed at the sensation. “Ben,” he sighs, “fuck, Benny.”

Benny can’t take his eyes off of Jack, loving to watch his expressions, as much as he’s trying to hide them in public. But Benny sees the signs, he sees the look behind his eyes, the flush of his cheeks, the small pants coming from between parted lips.

“How are y’all doing?” A voice asks and Jack’s head snaps up to look at the new company, standing in front of them with a smiling face. It was another ‘good-behavior’ inmate with a teenager in blue at his side. The pair take a seat on the other side of the table. Benny’s movements don’t even falter at their presence, the two oblivious to his actions. 

Benny smiles back brightly, hand moving unnoticed under the table. Jack’s body tenses but it doesn’t show on his face, keeping what was happening hidden from the new arrivals. “I mean, it’s not the best here,” Benny answers easily. “But it’s not horrible either. I wouldn’t want to come back. I’m definitely going to try to stay out of here after they let me leave. Are you?” He asks Jack, a mischievous grin teasing Jack. 

Jack nods quickly. “Yeah, yup, uh, yeah, I - I - I want to get out and st-stay out.” He stutters hard when Benny’s fingers run slowly and lightly from tip to base, a visible shiver running down his spine. 

“Cold, Jack?” The other inmate - Noel - asked with a laugh. Jack’s arms are covered in goosebumps. 

Benny giggles when Jack answers in a slightly shaking voice, “Y-yeah. Just a - a little chilly.”

“Aw, poor Jackie,” Benny says with a taunting edge and a wink before turning back to Noel and his teenage mentee, Ahlon. “How’s it going for you guys?” He thumbs over the head of Jack’s dick.

Ahlon shrugs. “Man, I thought I’d be able to fucken handle this. I - I don’t belong here.”

“What got you here, anyway?” Benny asks. He hadn’t talked much to the other teenagers in this program, didn’t bother to learn about them or their histories but he wants to keep the conversation going. He likes seeing Jack squirm. 

“Fuck, dude, I was dealing drugs, running with gangs, fucken robbing places. Whole bunch of bad shit that I shouldn’t have been doing.” Ahlon shakes his head, leaning on his hand. “Shit I ain’t gonna do once I get out of here.” 

“Good,” Noel acclaims. “Good to hear you say that, man. Don’t be like us.” He motions at himself and Jack. 

Jack’s forehead is starting to sweat, breathing harder as Benny’s hand moves teasingly slow. His hand grips Benny’s thigh with a death grip as he struggles to keep his expressions under control. 

“I’m with you, Ahlon,” Benny adds. “This place really just… it just fucks you, doesn’t it? I mean, phew. Just - gives you a good ole pounding.” 

Jack’s jaw clenches.

Noel laughs. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.” 

“Don’t you agree, Jack?” 

Jack finally looks over to meet Benny’s eyes, his own narrowed and dark as he tries to control his breathing. Meeting Benny’s eyes is what does it for him, the giddy excitement alive behind his beautiful blue. “Oh, fuck,” he groans, leaning his forehead on the table, dark eyes squeezing shut as he cums on Benny’s hand. 

“You okay?” Noel asks, brows stitched together in concern.

Benny answers for him with an easy, “He hasn’t really felt good all day. Said he had a headache this morning and I don’t think it’s easing up on him.” That didn’t actually happen but Benny wasn’t about to tell them that he just worked him to orgasm right in front of their eyes. 

“Maybe you should go lay down, Jack. We’ll make sure you don’t miss dinner.”

Jack rolls his head to the side, staring back at Benny with a whirlwind of emotions behind his eyes. “Yeah, fucken maybe.” Noel takes it upon himself to leave the table, telling Jack to get some rest and recover. As soon as they’re out of earshot, Jack sits up, face only inches from Benny’s. “I fucking hate you,” he says under his breath. The possessive hand on Benny’s leg, the adoration behind his brown irises, say different. Benny pulls his hand out of Jack’s jumpsuit, sucking the dirty fingers into his mouth. Jack groans quietly at the sight; it never fails to get to him when Benny does that. It’s probably the hottest, most attractive, exciting, dirty, beautiful thing he’s ever witnessed. 

“You should probably go lay down,” Benny mocks with a wink. “Get rid of that headache.” 

“ _You’re_ my headache but I don’t really want to get rid of you.” Jack snaps his lower button back together and jerks his head toward the stairs as he scoots back from the table. “Go. I want to lay with you.” 

Benny happily jumps up and hurries up the stairs, Jack following behind. Jack crawls onto his bunk with Benny. He lays with his back to the wall, Benny in front of him, face to face. Jack reaches out and brushes Benny’s curls from his face, light fingers lingering on his jawline. 

“You’re really beautiful,” Jack whispers, tangling his legs with Benny’s, scooting even closer so that their faces are only an inch or two apart. Jack leans forward and kisses him softly. “I don’t know if I’ve said that yet, but you are.”

“Jack,” he coos. He wraps his arm over Jack’s waist, pulling their chests flush together and pressing his nose into the base of Jack’s neck. He kisses the exposed skin softly. Jack’s arms hug tightly around Benny’s waist, holding him close as he drifts off. Benny lays there awake for only a couple minutes longer, Jack’s steady heartbeat and rhythmic breathing lulling him to sleep soon after.

\---

Benny and Jack sit downstairs at a table with a couple other inmates after a short nap. They’re playing a simple game of go-fish with a deck of cards another inmate had. Knowing the no-touching policy, Jack and Benny sit side by side, forearms just inches from each other, shoulders close to touching. What isn’t seen is the way Benny hooks a leg over Jack’s thigh under the table, hip to hip.

“Got any 5’s?” Jack asks the table. Everyone shakes their head and Jack takes another from the stack. “Y’all are killing me,” he groans. He has the most cards of anyone, Benny down to only two cards left. 

Benny smiles excitedly. “Got any 7’s?” He asks, immediately holding his hand out towards Jack for the card he sees in his hand. 

“I think that’s cheating,” Jack groans with a tease. “You can see my cards.”

Benny takes the card from him, the two others from a man named Marco sitting to his diagonal right. He smiles and sets all four on the table, left with only one card. “Don’t sit so close to me, then.” His actions counteract his words as he pulls his leg closer with his own. 

The game keeps going, Benny running out of cards first but he doesn’t win, Damien having more matches than him by the end. They immediately deal out another game, everyone talking and laughing and having a good time. 

Benny is having a good time just socializing with Jack. He had always been more of a social butterfly, liking to interact with others. He talks to the other inmates a lot more than Jack does. Jack prefers to just hang back, smile and listen, watching Benny’s expressions. He could watch Benny laugh for hours on end. He gets large lines at the corners of his mouth when he laughs, lines too defined for an 18 year old, disappearing when he relaxes. Those lines will be permanently there one day and he’ll look like he’s always grinning. 

“All right, Benny, since you ran out first, start us off,” Damien says as he deals the last card. It’s only those four playing, Benny and Jack sitting on one side of the table, Marco and Damien shielding their cards from each other on the other side. 

Benny looks at his cards then obviously leans over to look at Jack’s hand, “I’ll take your-”

“Matt?” The name is called from behind Damien, a man in his 40s approaching the table. “Matthew, is that you?”

Marco and Damien turn around to look at the man, Jack sitting up straighter and just a fraction of an inch closer. Benny recognizes the face smiling back at him but wishes he didn’t. He knows the guy from a sugar daddy fling. Benny doesn’t use his real name when it comes to his work for reasons just like this, or worse. It didn’t end on bad terms, but Benny never really likes seeing old flings out in the real world. Or in jail. 

The man was a millionaire when Benny knew him, may still be. He was the CEO of some company Benny had never heard of. He was married to a bimbo model, fucking boys like Benny and showering them with gifts on the side. Benny remembers his first name is Brett but he never really cared enough to learn his last name. He didn’t need to know his last name to fuck him.

“Oh, hey,” Benny grins, faking the pleasantries past the awkwardness. “I’m - I’m surprised to see you here.” Jack looks at him, confused as hell when Benny answers to the wrong name.

“I could say the same about you,” Brett scoffs. He takes a seat at the end of the table, Jack and Damien between the two and Benny is grateful for the buffers. 

“What did you do to land yourself in here?” Benny asked him but he didn’t really care to hear the answer. 

“Oh, you know, embezzling funds. Fraud and stuff. I’ll be in here for a while.” Brett waves a hand as if it’s not a big deal.

Jack lays his cards down and drops his hands under the table, gripping Benny’s thigh almost possessively, staking a claim no one can see. 

Benny bites the inside of his cheek, trying to not just grin suspiciously. “Oh, that’s a bummer.” His voice takes on a tone he uses often, one Jack hasn’t yet heard. He calls it his customer service voice. It’s more airy, more like someone that lives on the beach and eats kale, claiming to be vegan but eats McChickens at McDonalds when no one is looking. He doesn’t mean to make the vocal shift, it’s almost involuntary. “I’m only in here for, like, two more days. The blue,” he pulls at the collar of his jumper, “I’m not here for real.”

“No, _that’s_ a bummer,” Brett says with a wink. “You’re fun to have around.”

Jack’s jaw clenches and his hand balls into a fist on top of Benny’s thigh. 

“Are you still in business?” 

It’s obvious that Jack doesn’t like that question. His entire body goes rigid next to Benny, large hand covering the inside of his thigh. He pulls Benny’s leg further up his own thigh under the table. His right hand holds his leg but his left elbow rests on the table, his head leaning on his clenched fist. His glare is directed at a blank wall, not prepared to hear Benny’s answer to that question. He doesn’t really expect Benny to quit what he does just because Jack kind of likes him. But the thought of someone else’s hands on Benny after he leaves is enough to make him feel sick. 

Benny hums for a second, avoiding an immediate answer. He isn’t sure what to say, what to decide. “Doesn’t really concern you, does it?” He answers politely. “You’re in here.”

Brett winks disgustingly. “So are you for two more days.” 

All the other four at the table are awkwardly silent. Jack sits with a tight jaw and annoyance behind his eyes, Benny with eyes cast towards the table. His right hand drops under the table to grip Jack’s where it lays on his thigh. He laces their fingers together and rubs the back of Jack’s hand with his thumb. 

“Any tens?” Marco breaks the silence. 

Everyone picks their cards back up and the game resumes. That’s pretty much the end of Brett and his conversation as he stands up and slinks away from the table.

“Who the hell was that?” Damien asks with a thumb over his shoulder and Jack grumbles low in his throat. 

“That’s what I was fucken thinking,” Jack scoffs and shoots Benny a look. “Matthew?”

“I don’t use my real name when I do business,” Benny explains sweetly to him. He gives Jack’s upper arm a soft squeeze, trying to convey through his actions that it’s nothing to fuss about.

“I’ve seen him around a couple times. Think his name is Brent or something,” Marco supplies. 

Benny shrugs. “It’s Brett. I, uh, I - well, I worked for an escort service, right? He was a - a frequent customer. Not always me but sometimes. It’s been probably over a year since I last saw him.”

Jack chokes on air. “Excuse me? Over a year? You were sixteen and he was fucking with you?” He glares at the man’s retreating back. 

Damien sucks in through his teeth. “That’s felony worthy.”

Benny can’t help but laugh. “Yeah so is robbing a bank at gunpoint and getting caught in the parking lot.” He rolls his eyes at Damien, poking fun at his charges. 

Jack directs his gaze toward Benny, really not liking the information he just recieved. “He has grey hair, Ben. You were sixteen.”

Benny rolls his eyes at him, having done much worse at a younger age. He looks over at Jack. “You’re telling me you weren’t sexually active at sixteen?”

“Not with fucken senior citizens,” Jack snaps back. “Any fucken nines?”

The card game didn’t go forgotten as Benny hands over two of his cards. “It’s not that big of a deal, Jack. It was business.”

“Yeah, pedophilia. Not a big deal,” Jack grumbles. “Not a big deal, my ass,” he adds under his breath. 

Marco and Damien glance at each other with a look that is usually reserved for a sleep over when your friend’s mom starts yelling at them. Even as two outsiders, it was apparent that their connection, their relationship was on a different level than any other inmate/teen pairing here, that there was something more behind their eyes and their words and their touches. 

Benny huffs out a breath. “Give me that five in your hand, you big baby. You guys have any fives?” Marco hands over one, Benny laying down the four cards.

“Did you just call me a baby?” It catches him off guard and Jack chuckles at Benny. He wraps his arm around Benny’s shoulder without really thinking about it, pulling him close to his side and pressing a soft kiss to the side of his head. 

Benny leans into the embrace but Jack pulls away too soon. He understands, though, as it was a risk just to pull that move in front of people. Jack could get in a lot of trouble for it if a guard saw it. “Yeah, I called you a baby. Cause that’s what you’re being.”

Jack rolls his eyes playfully. “Oh, I’m sorry that I’m not an advocate for statutory rape.” His tone is teasing but there is a serious undertone to the words, truly upset at the fact that a grown ass man had his hands all over Benny when he was only sixteen. He tries to not let it get to him too much, knowing it was in the past and there’s nothing he’d be able to do about it. 

Benny doesn’t respond to that, not really sure how. He understands what he had done in his past years was very illegal, not only his actions but others that he was involved in. If he could go back and redo everything, he probably wouldn’t. He doesn’t see much point in bringing those topics back up, he can’t change what he did even if he wanted to. 

Marco is the next to speak up. “Are you guys, like…” 

“Haven’t really talked about it,” Benny answers quickly, already knowing that Jack wouldn’t know how to field that question. Jack’s panicked eyes and slack jaw prove him correct. Benny smiles over at him softly, his small hand coming to rest on Jack’s thigh, thumb rubbing the spot soothingly. “There’s not really a correct answer to that, right now.”

Jack nods once in confirmation, surprisingly content with Benny’s answer. There’s not really a correct term for them at this moment. No way to accurately describe their connection to each other. How do you label two people that have only known each other for one day, driven by lust but quickly developing past that? They’re not boyfriends, they’re not dating, they’re not even fuck buddies. They’re Jack and Benny and that’s it.

\---

“Light’s out!” The call comes, doors all over the block closing and locking mechanically.

Jack and Benny both at least to pretend like they’re going to sleep, laying on their respective bunks. The last few hours have been full of tension, Benny desperate and teasing, Jack falling victim to his charm and craving him more and more every second. 

Jack was already in his underwear with his shirt off and Benny knew that, having seen Jack strip down before they laid in their bunks. Benny tries not to move too much as he shimmies his shirt and pants off, stripping down to his boxers in anticipation. He doesn’t know if Jack is going to initiate anything, but he wants it so bad. He’d been trying to work Jack up all day, just to earn this moment.

Jack’s voice is low and rough, his need wholly evident in one syllable. “Ben.”

Benny is set in motion, almost tripping over himself as he excitedly scurries off his bunk, getting on his knees at Jack’s side. Jack sits against the wall, legs out in front of him and he’s only wearing his boxers. Jack shakes his head and pats his hip bone. “Nuh, uh, come here.”

Benny obeys, straddling his hips quickly and waiting in anticipation. Jack cradles his face and pulls him in for a kiss. It’s soft at first, slow and tantalizing, Benny absolutely melts into it, hands coming to tangle into Jack’s short hair, letting himself fall forward onto Jack’s chest. 

Jack breaks away from the sinful lips, moving to mouth along his neck, mumbling between marks, “You were a little shit today, Ben. An absolute monster. I mean, touching yourself after breakfast. Touching _me_ after lunch. Then that stunt you pulled a couple hours ago? Are you fucking kidding me? You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

Just hours ago, Benny had nearly got them caught. Jack isn’t really sure how it ended up happening, but Benny somehow convinced him to finger him outside in the courtyard. Jack truly thought they were going to get caught and he was going to get an extended sentence, but they went unnoticed in the corner. The jumpsuit itself nearly ended his little stunt, but Benny thought quick on his feet, letting the top of the suit hang around his waist so that Jack's hand could subtly slip down the back of it.

Benny pants at his words, arching closer to him. He grinds his hips down on Jack’s, the words going straight to his groin. He groans low in his chest, moaning into Jack’s ear as he slides his ass over Jack’s hard cock. 

Jack slides his hands down Benny’s back, slipping under his pants to grab his ass, kneading and spreading the cheeks as his fingers tease his crack. Jack pulls back enough to watch as Benny takes two of his fingers into his mouth, cheeks hollowing as he looks down his nose at Jack. Benny drops into Jack’s neck with a gasp as the tip of his middle finger breeches his rim. “Oh, Jack,” he moans when his full finger slides in. 

“Still open from before, huh, baby? Think you can go ahead and take two already?” 

Benny nods desperately, breathing hard as his hips shift down onto Jack’s hand. “Yes, oh god, please, Jack, please, I can take it, I’m ready,” he whines. Jack slides the second in with little resistance, Benny moaning pornographically into the skin of Jack’s neck. 

“Such a good boy,” Jack praises breathily, one hand deep in Benny, the other combing through his hair soothingly. His fingers work inside Benny, stretching his walls and just grazing his prostate. “How is it that you’re such a hellion out there, but you’re so good in here? I’m not sure if you’re actually good or not. If you deserved to be punished or not.”

“I do,” Benny rushes. His eyes are squeezed shut, mouth wide open as he pants against Jack’s neck. His hips work down rhythmically, fucking himself onto Jack’s fingers. “Punish me, Jack. I need it. Tell me how bad I am.”

“ _Naughty_ ,” he snaps, thrusting his fingers up, eliciting a long groan from Benny, his back arches and his face lifts from Jack, eyes rolled back and mouth open as he throws his head back. Jack teases a third finger around his entrance, Benny nodding excitedly, urging him on with his moans. Benny yelps in pleasure, having craved the familiar stretch for so long. 

“Jack, oh my god. Oh, fuck,” he whines, dropping back down and his teeth grazing Jack’s collar bones. He stretches beautifully around Jack’s three fingers, his hips still as Jack fucks into him. He makes the mistake of moaning, “I’m gonna cum.”

Jack’s fingers disappear and Benny almost cries. “No, you’re not. Not yet. Turn around.” 

Benny can’t turn fast enough, looking over his shoulder as he straddles Jack’s chest. Jack just kisses Benny’s cheeks at first, really appreciating the entire area before dipping his tongue into his opened hole. Benny cries out in pleasure, high voice echoing off the walls of their small cell. 

Jack pulls his face away and slaps his ass lightly. “Quiet,” he demands. “Don’t want someone to hear us, Benny boy.” Benny nods and presses his lips together. “Good boy.”

Benny presses back against him as Jack fits three fingers back in, adding his tongue to the mix. “Oh, Jack, please,” he begs in a whisper. He chants Jack’s name over and over as he abuses his hole with his fingers. He stills looks over his shoulder, watching Jack pleasure him with wide eyes, moaning softly. 

“Oh, fuck,” Benny cries out as Jack stabs his fingers directly into his prostate. And then he’s gone. Benny whines quietly, his arms giving out under his body weight and he falls onto Jack’s thighs. 

“I said quiet,” Jack snaps in a demanding tone. Benny, feeling empty and hating it, pushes back towards Jack desperately. “Can you be quiet?” Benny nods. “I don’t think you can. One more time, Benny, and I’ll just stop.”

“No,” Benny whines, nearly in desperate tears. “Please, Jack, I can be quiet. I can. Please?”

Jack laughs lightly, teasingly, as just one single finger tickles around what just fit three. “Look at you. So needy. Can’t keep your mouth shut.”

“You’re just so good,” Benny breathes. “I can’t help it.”

“Well you better figure it out.” Jack knows Benny loves the dominance but he also knows that if a guard happens to hear them, they’re done for. Benny will have to leave and Jack’s date will be pulled by who knows how long. They could keep him another year at least if they caught him fucking an 18 year old program participant. 

Benny’s blue iris nearly disappears with the expanse of his pupils. He gives Jack a wink and says, “Can’t talk with a dick in my mouth.” And with that, he takes Jack’s hard cock in his hand and wraps his mouth around all he can. 

Satisfied, Jack dives in between Benny’s cheeks. His fingers fit back in easily, licking around his fingers to help moisten the area, making his movements in and out easier and smoother. Benny hums around his cock and Jack grins with triumph 

It doesn’t take long, only a couple minutes, for Benny to pull off completely, turning around to tell Jack, “Fuck me, Jack. Now. I need you in me.”

Jack can’t say no to that. “Okay, okay, get around here, then,” he says with a twirl of his finger. Benny clambers back around, immediately sinking his hips onto Jack, ass to thighs as he takes him in completely. Jack kisses him, catching Benny’s moan with his own lips. 

“Oh, my god, Jack,” Benny breathes as Jack kisses him. He can’t even focus on kissing him back as the words pour out of his mouth, mind on nothing but the way Jack thrusts up into him, the way his cock feels against his walls, stretching him in a way that feels extraordinary. “You feel so good. Jack, oh my god. Yes, Jack, please, fuck me.”

Jack snaps his hips up extra hard, kissing and licking into Benny’s mouth. “What do you think I’m doing?”

“So good,” he pants, his own hips matching Jack’s thrusts. He sits up straight, hands on Jack’s chest with Jack’s on his hips. He lets his head drop as he rides Jack, curls falling in his closed eyes.

“Fuck,” Jack whispers, just barely heard, “So beautiful, Ben.” He can’t help but just admire Benny in this moment. He sits above Jack, long lashes resting on rosy cheeks, red swollen lips slightly parted to release breathy moans. His dark curls fall over his forehead, ends tickling at his eyelids. His chin is tucked to his chest, his perfect, smooth, softly defined chest, down to his stomach. Jack brings a hand to the skin, fingers tracing at the lines of his abs and his hips down to his full thighs. His hands leave Benny’s hips to spread out on his thighs, helping him bounce on his cock. “Just so gorgeous,” Jack whispers once more. 

Benny opens his eyes, sharp blue meeting Jack’s deep brown and he leans down to kiss Jack passionately, growing tired as his hips slow, the movements becoming less sharp. Jack takes it upon himself to flip them, holding Benny close as he lays him on his back. Jack fits himself between Benny’s hips, holding himself above him on his elbows as he fucks into him roughly. 

The new angle does things for Benny as he sucks in a sharp breath, Jack quickly kissing him to muffle the loud moan. “Not too loud, baby,” Jack whispers as he kisses along Benny’s jawline.

“I - I can’t help it,” Benny whines. “I just need you so bad, Jack. Feels so fucking good.” He wraps his arms around Jack’s neck, pulling him close as Jack’s hips roll into him rhythmically. Jack loses his breath when Benny begs, “Use me, Jack, please. Just fuck me hard; use me.”

Jack obliges. He pulls out of Benny’s embrace to sit back on his knees, slipping his hands under Benny’s hips, pulling his hips closer to fuck into him quick and hard. The sound of skin on skin was almost as loud as Benny’s earlier moans but Jack can’t find himself to care. He just hopes it’s not so loud as to draw extra attention. 

Benny has an arm thrown over his own mouth, biting the skin of his inner elbow to muffle his moans. His eyes are squeezed shut but Jack doesn’t miss the tear mark in the corner of his eye. His thumb catches the tear, asking, “Benny, are you okay?” as he pulls out.

Benny’s eyes snap open, his voice shaking as his hands reach out, grasping at whatever part of Jack he could touch, “No, put it back in, please, Jack, put it back in, fill me, please, please, Jack.” Benny breathes heavy as he stares at Jack with wide eyes. Jack only grins and sits back on his heels. Benny begins squirming, face growing redder and more tears forming as he begs desperately. “I need it, Jack, please put it back in. Fill me, Jack, please, oh, god, please, _please_.”

Benny moves as he begs, putting himself on his hands and knees as he looks over his shoulder at Jack, pushing his open ass toward Jack’s slick cock. Jack doesn’t move, frozen as he can’t believe the sight in front of him. 

Benny’s voice is weak, barely a whisper as a stream of desperate, needy tears stream down his red cheeks. “Don’t do this to me, Jack, please. I need you in me, I need _you_. Please. I was so close.” His arms drop from under him, face pressed into the pillows with his ass in the air. 

Jack reaches to grab Benny’s chin, pulling him back to kiss him deeply. Benny sits back on his heels as they kiss, hands going behind his back to grab Jack’s dick and sinks himself back down on it. He breathes a heavy sigh of relief into Jack’s mouth. “Don’t do that again,” he whines quietly, “Please, I can’t take it, Jack.” 

“I won’t, I won’t, I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “Why don’t you lay down for me and just let me fuck you?” He stays in Benny as he lays flat on his stomach. Jack holds himself so that he fits against the curve of Benny’s back but holds himself up enough that he doesn’t squish him into the bed, kissing his neck and behind his ear. 

Jack leans most of his weight on one arm, his free hand running down Benny’s side lovingly, just caressing and following the curve of his waist and hips as he thrusts into him. The side of Benny’s face is pressed into the pillow, Jack pressed closed-mouth kisses to the corner of his mouth. 

Jack sits up and straddles Benny’s ass, fucking into him just like he’s been begging for. It doesn’t take long until Benny is moaning, “I’m going to cum, Jack, don’t stop.” Jack is almost sad that he doesn’t get to see him in his full glory as he comes, only getting to see the shiver down his spine as it rocks through his body and feels him clench around him. 

He begins to pull back but Benny throws an arm back and grabs at him, shaking his head into the pillow. “No, keep going, Jack, I want you to cum, too.”

“I will,” he assures. “But I want you to turn around, baby.” Benny nods and lifts himself up with shaky arms and legs, slowly turning around with Jack’s help. Jack sits back against the wall, guiding him to straddle his hips, chest to chest. Jack holds him as close as he can, one arm wrapped tight around his waist, the other hand spread out over his shoulder blade. His chin resting in the dip of Benny’s collar bone with Benny’s arms around Jack’s head, fingers in his short hair. Jack holds Benny still, holding him close as he slowly thrusts up into him. His movements are much easier now, knowing that Benny was more sensitive, himself tiring out as he nears his finish. 

“Benny,” he sighs into his neck. “God, you’re so beautiful. So pretty.” He can’t help but to fawn over him, truly in awe of his beauty. He’s never met anyone else like Benny and he doesn’t want to. He only wants the boy in his lap. The boy that turns his head lazily to press kisses to Jack’s temple. 

Benny places his palm under Jack’s jaw, lifting his head to kiss him. It’s not the desperate kissing that it was earlier. No tongues involved. The kisses are slow and loving and passionate. He breaks away to press his forehead against Jack’s. “Let me know when you’re close,” he whispers, “Want you to cum in my mouth.” 

Jack nods, eyes closed as he lifts his chin to kiss him lazily. It’s less than a minute when Jack gives a warning. Benny climbs off, Jack coming nearly as soon as Benny wraps his lips around him. 

Benny climbs back up and straddles him again, but not sitting on his dick this time. He only cuddles against his chest, kissing softly at his jawline. His arms slip around Jack’s waist, Jack holding him just as close. 

Both men are breathing heavy, skin sticking with sweat, but they don’t move from each other for a while. “That was heavenly, Jack,” Benny sighs, signs of exhaustion starting to show. His words slur together and his eyes close as he lays his head on Jack’s shoulder. 

Jack laughs breathlessly. “Good, was it?”

He nods lazily. “Can easily say that was the best I’ve ever had. Don’t think I’ll be walking straight tomorrow.”

“That wasn’t even my A game,” he teases. His fingers trail up and down Benny’s spine slowly, just barely touching his skin. 

“Then I need to be on the receiving end of that some day.” Jack’s heart skips a beat but Benny doesn’t give him a second to react. “I got the sheets dirty.”

“Lucky for you we get new sheets tomorrow morning. Get up for a second, baby.” Benny does as asked. He stands up and slips his underwear and pants back on, leaving his shirt off to the side. Jack dresses in only his boxers before stripping the sheet off of the mattress, setting it off to the side and replacing it with the sheet from the top bunk. “Let’s lay down, baby. Get some rest.”

Benny happily lays in Jack’s arms, Jack on his back, arms around Benny’s shoulders, Benny on his stomach with his head on Jack’s chest. Jack’s right hand absentmindedly played in Benny’s curls, relaxing him until he was asleep and spent a while just watching him in admiration. Watching his back rise with his rhythmic breathing. Admiring the way his eyelashes rest on his cheeks. Hell, even smiling at his parted lips, dripping drool onto his bare chest. 

Jack doesn’t remember closing his eyes or even trying to sleep, just admiring Benny until he passed out but happy to wake up to the same scene in the morning.

\---

They lay in bed together on fresh sheets the next morning. Jack sits with his back against the wall, hands in Benny’s curls where his head lays in Jack’s lap, his arm wrapped around Jack’s thigh. “How do you feel?” Jack asks as he brushes the curls out of Benny’s eyes. 

Benny hums with content, eyes closed as he nuzzles his cheek into Jack’s upper thigh. “Sore. And I’ve never felt better.” 

“Can I ask you something?” Jack asks, taking on a different tone, more serious but also nervous. 

“Of course, darlin’,” Benny sighs, sweetly. 

“Does your family know? A-about you?”

Benny’s brow stitches together but he doesn’t look up at Jack, hugging his thigh closer. “What do you mean? About me being gay or about being an escort?”

“Both, I suppose.”

“They know that I’m gay. But, no, they don’t know how I make my money.”

Jack can’t stop himself from asking questions as they come to his mind, wanting to know as much as he can about Benny. “Are they supportive of you?”

Benny turns his head to look at Jack but Jack doesn’t return the gaze, dark eyes fixed instead on the blank wall across from him. Jack’s fingers still play absentmindedly in Benny’s hair, scratching lightly at his scalp, otherwise he is completely still. “They are. Well, my - my dad wasn’t. But my step dad and my mom are. My dad - well, he - he left when I came out. Didn’t want a gay son, I guess.” He sighs and closes his eyes tight against the old emotions. He had mostly come to terms with the way things happened, but it still hurt to think about. “He tried to kick me out and disown me but - but my mom, the saint she is, was there for me. Divorced him and told him to get out of our lives if he couldn’t accept me. Mike - my step dad - was actually in our lives already. He - he was my dad’s best friend and - and after everything happened - my dad tried to get Mike on his side but Mike told him he was a piece of shit-”

“He is,” Jack mumbles.

“-and he just started to be there for my mom and me. We fell behind on bills when my dad left and Mike started to help us out. It was at least two years before they started dating. Mike actually came to me, first, told me that he really cared about me and my mom, that he wanted to be in a relationship with her and that he wanted to have a father/son relationship with me, and asked if I’d be okay with it before he did anything. He’s - he’s been my father for years now and I’m thankful for him.” Benny sits up from Jack’s lap, sitting shoulder to shoulder with his back against the wall. He leans his head on Jack’s shoulder, Jack placing his left hand on Benny’s thigh comfortingly.

“How old were you?” He asks with a whisper, voice holding back the emotions he was feeling. “When you came out?

Benny wraps his hands around Jack’s bicep, turning his head to nose at his jawline. “I was eleven or twelve. I knew I was gay pretty much as soon as I hit puberty and came out immediately. I’ve always just been really open about who I am and it - it wasn’t even an option for me to stay in the closet.”

Silence settles over them for a moment, a comfortable quiet. They hold each other gently. Jack presses a soft kiss to Benny’s hair where his head lay on his shoulder, rubbing his thigh soothingly. “How did you do it?” He asks in quiet astonishment, truly in wonder how Benny was able to be so open about his sexuality.

“What do you mean?” Benny asks, craning his neck to look up at Jack with confusion.

“How - how were you so… brave? So free to be yourself?” 

“Oh, Jack,” he sighs. He places his hand on Jack’s jawline, turning his head to kiss him softly. “I - I owe that to my mom, really. I - I think she knew before I told her. Before I even knew. She - she - she always told me growing up that - and she is a very religious woman - that God made me exactly how I was. Exactly how I was supposed to be. She was always telling me to never be scared of who I was and to - to always be true to myself. You - you should meet her someday.”

“Did - did you face - like, in school, did…” Jack trails off, finding it difficult to say the words. 

“Of course I did,” Benny takes a deep breath. “I - I don’t think any kid doesn’t, you know? I can’t count how many times I had come home from school in tears because of what kids said or did to me. But that was just part of it. It was a part of being different that I just had to deal with. I wish it wasn’t but unfortunately it was.”

“What was it like?” Jack asks in a quiet voice. “To be open. What does that feel like?

Benny moves as he thinks through his answer, facing Jack straight on as he sits between his thighs, his own legs on either side of Jack’s hips. He doesn’t look at Jack, gaze instead focused on a button of his jumpsuit, his fingers playing with the hem on the outside of his thigh. Benny sighs. “It’s - it’s the best feeling. I don’t really know how to explain it. Like, growing up - I - I can’t imagine not being open about my sexuality. I mean, I understand why people do hide it and I respect their decision, but it’s just not for me. Not how my momma raised me. Being free is like - have you seen the Titanic? When Jack stands there and yells ‘I’m king of the world’. That’s how it feels. It’s like the entire world is in front of me, right there in reach. It’s like - you can feel the metaphorical wind in your hair and the sun on your skin, you know? But then someone comes and feels the need to remind you that the Titanic sank and everyone on the boat is going to hell. And then it - it feels like you’re at the bottom of the ocean with the ship, but you’re still standing on the tip of the boat and you’re still king of the world. It’s just a different world. A little bit darker and there’s a lot more pressure, but it’s also beautiful and strange and no one bothers you down here at the bottom of the ocean. Like, it’s _our_ world, and it’s still free and happy down here, it’s just different. It’s somewhere most people haven’t explored or even seen. ” Benny shrugs and laughs softly at his own analogy. “I don’t know if that makes any sense to you but. Yeah.”

Jack hooks a knuckle under Benny’s chin, lifting his face up to kiss him softly. “You explained it perfectly,” he whispers. Impossibly quieter against Benny’s lips, he adds, “I - I want that.”

“I want you to have that,” Benny returns. His voice is low, eyes closed as his nose brushes against Jack’s. “You deserve that.”

“How do I get it?” Jack pulls back, dark hooded eyes locked with Benny’ soft blue. He takes Benny’s hands in his, lacing their fingers together and brings one hand up to kiss his knuckles. 

“No one can give you that but you, Jack. I mean - there - there may be people that you feel more… free with, but no one can really give you that. When - when you stop worrying about what other people think about you - when you start living the way you want to live, you’ll start to feel it. You - you’re gonna feel that bottom-of-the-ocean feeling first, and feel that harder. But if - if you just keep being true to yourself, if you fight through that drowning feeling, the freedom will come and it’s - it’ll be amazing and so worth it, Jack. I really hope you can find that one day. That you can feel free, too.” 

Benny reaches out to cup his palm against Jack’s cheek. Jack’s eyes flutter closed, long dark lashes nearly brushing the apples of his cheeks, head leaning into Benny’s touch and he sighs. “The freest I’ve ever felt is right here in jail. Behind locked doors, in the same clothes as everyone else, being told what to do and when, yet I still feel more free than I did out there.”

“Why do you think that is? What’s different about being here that feels more free?”

Jack shrugs, face not moving from the soft caress of Benny’s hand. “I don’t know. People don’t really judge you here. We’ve all done bad shit. I - I guess I don’t have any expectations to uphold. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone in here so it’s - it’s just easier, I suppose.”

“You don’t have anything to prove to anyone out there, either, baby.”

\---

The lukewarm water trickles onto Benny’s shoulders. He’s learned in the past two days that the prison showers don’t really have hot water and they definitely don’t have good water pressure.

But Benny can’t concentrate on the water pressure right now when he knows Jack is just on the other side of the stall wall. He was thankful for the separation the first time he entered the showers but now he really wishes there was nothing between him and Jack. 

He hadn’t touched Jack all day. At least not in the way he wants. He had spent all day revelling in the soft touches and secret kisses but now he wanted more. He knows Jack is just on the other side of the wall, completely undressed and dripping from head to toe.

The thought of what is only feet away from him is enough to get Benny panting hard. His forearm is against the wall, his forehead on his arm as he’s nearly bent in half. He bites his own arm to stifle his moan as he fits his middle finger in up to his knuckle. His eyes screw closed to the pleasure, mouth opening only slightly. His wet curls drip down into his eyes as he fucks his own finger in and out of himself. 

Benny’s head pops up as he fits a second finger in, staring at the wall as if he could see Jack on the other side of it. He can just imagine the sight. Jack’s beautifully toned body, every inch dripping in water and suds, his own large hands running over his body and through his hair. His dark tattoos looking even darker, stretching over his muscles. 

He doesn’t even realize he’s already putting a third finger inside of himself until his knees nearly give out. His eyes are closed, mouth open as he leans against the wall, just yearning for Jack on the other side. As much as he wants Jack in his hands, just the thought of him brings him close to finishing. He removes his fingers when he gets close, wanting to save himself. Jack is just feet away from him, naked and wet and soapy, and he wants him. Benny wants him bad. 

He goes unnoticed in the half of a second it takes for him to slip out of the curtain door of his own shower stall and into Jack’s. Jack doesn’t notice him for a second, his eyes closed with his head back as he washes the shampoo out of his hair. He’s just as he had imagined. Skin glistening, chest and abs prominent as his arms stretch back over his head. The shampoo is running down his body as he rinses and Benny wants to do ungodly things to him. 

Benny can’t help but just stand there and admire until Jack opens his eyes and sees him. He jumps and whispers, “Shit, Ben, scared me. What are you doing?” 

Jack immediately notices the lust in Benny’s eyes, the way his bottom lip is red and swollen from where he was biting it before. “I need you,” he practically begs, stepping forward to rest his small hands on Jack’s hips. Benny looks up at him through his lashes, blue eyes looking grey in the dim lighting. His own cock is already painfully hard, Jack’s quickly hardening as Benny ruts against him. 

Jack smiles widely, feeling something a little more than lust as his large hands cup Benny’s face, as they often do, and he kisses him deeply. “You’re going to get us caught.”

“Not if I’m quiet,” he rasps and throws a glance to the open 6 inches between the stall wall and the floor. “And if you fuck me against the wall, they won’t be able to see me in here with you.”

Jack’s knees nearly buckle and he can’t move fast enough, hands leaving Benny’s face to instead grip his thighs and pull Benny’s legs around his hips. “If you can actually manage to keep quiet.” Jack supports Benny’s weight with one arm, his other hand teasing at Benny’s hole and asks, “Prep?”

Benny shakes his head where it presses into Jack’s neck. His arms are around Jack’s neck, helping to support his own weight on Jack’s body, ankles locked behind his back. “I already did. Almost came but I wanted you to do it.”

“Fuck me, Ben, seriously?”

“Well, I was kind of hoping _you’d_ fuck _me_. Would you, please?” He pulls back to look at Jack. Benny is much shorter than Jack but he’s looking down at him a lot in the past three days. It seems like Benny spends most of his time above Jack. As he sits back, the stream of water hits his shoulders and a shiver runs down his spine. 

Still only supporting him with one arm, Jack uses his free hand to guide his cock to Benny’s ass. As soon as the tip just touches the sensitive skin, Benny’s hips shift down, pushing the head in by an inch. He was already so close only minutes ago that the feeling of Jack is like heaven. His sensitive body reacts to Jack beautifully. His head falls forward onto Jack’s shoulder, teeth grazing at the wet skin. Both of Jack’s hands hold Benny’s ass, slowly guiding him down on his cock. There was still the familiar stretch that Benny loved so much, Jack’s cock definitely bigger than his own three fingers. 

Benny groans into Jack’s ear, the low groan shifting to a breathless whine as he sinks down completely. “Fuck, Jack. So good.” His voice is still quiet, just barely heard over the running water of multiple showers, remembering in the back of his mind that they’re not the only people in the room. 

Benny’s lips brush at the shell of Jack’s ear as his ass bounces on Jack’s cock, clinging to his body as he practically fucks himself on Jack. Jack’s arms wrap down around Benny’s waist, keeping him up while giving his hips freedom to move how he pleases. His voice cracks like he’s on the verge of crying as he sighs, “Do you know how bad I need you? Fuck, Jack, you’re - you’re everything. I need - Fuck, I need - oh, my god, Jack, yes.”

His words turn into incoherent moans as Jack moves forward to pin Benny’s back to the wall, fucking into him harder and deeper as he kisses hungrily at his neck. He holds Benny’s hips to the wall and does his best to fuck him hard but quietly. Benny’s fingers grip at Jack’s short, just barely tugging on the roots as Jack sucks a mark into Benny’s collar bones. He had tried not to mark Benny too much, even though he really liked to and Benny seemed to like it just as much. 

Benny starts in again with a low whisper, eyes closed and slumping forward on Jack’s shoulder as he lets himself be fucked. “You ever feel like - just feel like - like you’re just - just made for someone? I think - I think I was made for you. I was made to be fucked by you.”

“Benny, baby,” Jack coos, heart racing as he holds his boy impossibly closer. “Fuck, baby, you fit around me so perfectly. My cock was definitely crafted just for you.”

Jack steps back until his shoulders hit the wall and he leans his weight back. Benny has one hand braced against the wall over Jack’s head, the other arm wrapped around the back of his neck. The water just barely hits the top of Benny’s spine in their new position and he loves the feeling. The water trickling down his back, Jack’s thick cock filling him completely, large hands holding the back of his thighs as Jack thrusts into him. 

Not one to be entirely quiet, Benny rasps his name again, voice breaking between each of Jack’s thrusts.“I need you to find me and - and fuck me when you - you get out of here. I - I - I hate being quiet. I - I want to be loud with you.”

“Baby, as soon as I’m out of here, you can be as loud as you want. I’ll make it up to you.” 

“It’s so hard,” Benny pants. “I don’t like to be quiet.” As if to prove his point, he leans back and slams his mouth on Jack’s, letting Jack swallow his low moan and chants of “yes”. His hips thrust down to match Jack’s movements, his legs tight around Jack’s waist, trying to hold some of his own weight. 

Jack’s muscles flex under Benny but it’s like holding a feather, feeling no strain holding Benny up. With his shoulders against the wall, it’s easier to balance most of Benny’s weight on his chest with his hands under Benny’s thighs. He fucks up into Benny rhymically, kissing him as he does so. 

Kissing Benny is easily his most favorite thing to do in the entire world. It even ranks over fucking Benny. The way Benny’s face just fits in his palms, soft lips slotting perfectly with Jack’s, the delicious taste of his tongue, his button nose brushing Jack’s cheek, the way that, if they are pressed close enough together, Jack can feel the light tickle of Benny’s mile long lashes. He loves when Benny whines into his mouth, much like he’s doing now, pants and moans falling against his parted lips. 

“I never got to actually take a shower,” Benny mumbles against Jack’s mouth.. “Got too excited. Couldn’t wait for you.”

“You’re really talkative today,” Jack chuckles softly. He jokes but he really loves hearing Benny’s voice, no matter what he’s saying. 

“If I don’t,” Benny pants as he rolls his hips around Jack’s cock, “I’m gonna get loud. Gotta talk so I don’t moan.” Ironically, the last word comes out in a quiet moan as he sinks down on Jack as far as he can go. 

Jack turns them around so that Benny’s back is to the wall once more. Benny’s head falls against Jack’s shoulder with his eyes closed, arms tight around Jack’s shoulders. It frees Jack’s hands to grab his small bottle of shampoo and he squeezes the soap into Benny’s wet curls.

Benny sighs as Jack begins to massage his scalp, working the shampoo through his damp curls. “Oh, Jack,” he purrs. He turns his head sideways to kiss at Jack’s neck. Between Jack’s cock in his ass and his fingers in his hair, Benny is in maybe the most euphoric state he’s ever been in. His eyes are closed and he can’t he can’t feel anything but Jack. Not only physically, but in his mind and in his soul, all he feels is Jack. 

All the pleasure slips Benny into nearly a comatose state, slumped onto Jack’s body, eyes closed and breathing softly. Jack still fucks into him but slowly and softly, matching the soft scratch of his fingers against Benny’s scalp. The only evidence that he’s even awake is his slurred whispers of Jack’s name. Jack moves back to run Benny’s hair under the water, rinsing the suds out of his hair and places him back against the wall. 

Jack takes the time to grab Benny’s hips and thrust into him a little harder. He can feel Benny’s warm breath hitting the wet skin of his neck in a huff with every thrust. Benny’s hands grip tight to Jack, one on the back of his neck and one in the hair at the crown on his head. 

Benny has had shower sex before but never shower sex like this and he loves it. It’s a different kind of pleasure that he had never felt before. There was, of course, the sexual pleasure that Jack gives him so well. But there was a sweet intimacy, an emotional pleasure as Jack cares for him, now rubbing the bar of soap over his soft skin as he fucks him. 

He moans Jack’s name beautifully as he comes without warning, painting both of their stomachs. His legs lock and shake around Jack’s waist, his hips moving frantically as he chases his high. 

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” Jack muses, kissing along Benny’s neck. Benny whines high as Jack thrusts into him another time. “Do you want me to stop?”

Benny shakes his head but just barely as he feels pretty fucked out. “No,” he rasps. “Want you to come in me, Jack.”

Jack kisses him deeply, hands kneading Benny’s ass cheeks as he fucks into him. “Talk to me, Ben,” he begs, his own voice filled with desperation. “Wanna hear your voice.” 

Benny obliges and just starts whispering sweet nonsense, Jack kissing him briefly between words. Jack’s hips barely move as he focuses more on Benny’s body, hands caressing everything they can. He starts at his freshly washed curls, running his fingers through before cupping his face, kissing him slowly. His large but gentle hands slide down Benny’s neck. Benny shivers as Jack’s fingertips trace his ribcage, mouthing hungrily at his collarbones. His dick is painfully hard but he doesn’t pay that any mind, his hands and mouth more occupied with Benny.

As much as he loves Benny’s voice, he can’t focus on the words. He vibrations of his chest, the warm breath on his neck, just the sweet tone is enough for him. “Gorgeous,” Jack whines as he nears his finish. “Just so fucking pretty, Ben.”

His face is pressed into Benny’s neck, breathing hard as he comes with Benny chanting words of praise and pleasure in his ear. He pulls out but their bodies don’t move, Jack keeping Benny pinned against the wall while kissing him passionately. 

Jack slowly sets Benny down as his breathing evens out and he opens his eyes, his feet touching the floor for the first time since Jack first picked him up. Jack still holds him up for the most part, his knees weak and shaking. He keeps an arm around Benny’s waist, cleaning him completely as Benny stands there in a trance, eyes closed and he can only focus on Jack’s hands on his skin. 

Jack takes special care of Benny’s ass while cleaning him properly, kissing him softly as he does so. His entire body is wrapped around Benny, fronts flush together as his arms reach around, kneading and cleaning his ass. 

“Jack,” Benny whispers and Jack pulls back just enough to look at him, faces only an inch apart. He expects Benny to go on but he doesn’t, blue eyes half hidden by heavy lids. 

“Yeah, baby?” 

“I could just stay here all day.” His voice is incredibly soft as he winds his arms around Jack’s waist and nuzzles the side of his face into Jack’s pec. 

“In the shower?” he asks with a chuckle. “You’ll prune.”

“In the shower, in jail, just wherever you are.”

Jack pauses for a moment, a warm flood taking over his insides. “Stay as long as you’d like.”

\---

The energy in the room is the polar opposite to what it was the night before but the same as it was in the shower. The room is dark with the door closed for the night, Benny straddling Jack’s hips, laying flat on his chest. Jack’s arms wrap around Benny’s back, kissing softly along his neck and shoulder. 

Where the night before was erotic and wild, hearts pounding wildly, sweaty, kinky and lustful, tonight is calmer. The energy is much sweeter as Benny lays in Jack’s arms, skin to skin, slow heartbeats matching each other’s. They’ve been like this for an hour past lights-out, holding each other gently in the dark.

Their breaths are soft, heart beats lining up. Jack’s fingers trail slowly up and down Benny’s spine, his chilled fingers in stark contrast to the warm expanse of his back. Jack every so often presses a soft kiss into the side of Benny’s head or the skin of his shoulder. Benny presses a cold nose into the side of Jack’s neck, eyes closed, just breathing in Jack’s presence

“You’re beautiful, Ben,” he muses quietly, kissing Benny’s exposed skin, hands caressing his bare sides and back. 

Benny doesn’t respond besides tightening his arms around Jack’s waist, holding him closer. Benny didn’t do well with real feelings. They came out in a physical manner rather than words. “Will you fuck me again?” He asks, looking up through his thick lashes. 

Jack seemed to understand and he nods, cradling Benny’s face as he leans forward to kiss him. “Anything you want, baby.” Jack holds Benny close as he lifts his hips up just enough to slide his pants off. Jack kisses him deeply as he reaches down, kneading Benny’s cheeks before teasing his entrance with the tip of his finger. 

“No,” Benny begs, slapping his arm away. “Just fuck me, please, I’ll be fine.”

Jack isn’t sure at first but Benny looks so needy that Jack slicks his own cock in spit, guiding Benny’s hips over him. Once he just barely slips inside, Jack places his hands under Benny’s thighs, helping him slide down at a slow pace. He’s still fairly open from the shower, not like he should be before getting fucked but he’s insistent that he’s already ready so Jack helps in inch down slowly. But he’s not moaning in pain so Jack keeps inching inside, making sure to take his time to not hurt the younger boy. 

He’s silent until he’s balls deep, finally breathing out Benny’s name. They don’t move for a couple minutes, Benny just sitting on Jack’s cock as they make out. Benny is the first to break, burying his face in Jack’s shoulder as he starts to work his hips up and down slightly. The movements are small and gentle. 

“Jack?” It’s not a moan, but a question as Benny continues rolling his hips.  
It takes Jack a second to realize he is, in fact, asking him a question. “Yeah?”

Benny's voice is a combination of two entirely different tones. On one hand, he’s breathless and blissed as he gently rides Jack, but also concerned and maybe even scared as he says, “I don’t want to leave.”

Jack cradles Benny’s face and pulls Benny up to look at him. “What do you mean, Ben? You want to stay in jail?”

There’s a sadness in his eyes that hurts Jack’s heart. Benny just shakes his head, breaking from his grasp to drop his head back into Jack’s neck, shoving his arms under Jack’s body to hold him close. “I don’t want to leave you,” he admits in such a quiet voice that Jack isn’t sure he said it at first. Jack wants to make Benny look at him, but the way he’s holding onto Jack seems like he wouldn’t be able to say it in any other light.

So Jack instead does the same, wrapping his arms around Benny’s back, holding him just as close. He slightly shifts his hips up into Benny. “Oh, Benny,” he sighs sweetly, “I don’t want you to go, either.”

Benny gasps quietly as Jack thrusts up into him particularly well. “Jack,” he sighs, “I want you.”

“You have me, you have me,” Jack assures with a moan as Benny clenches and rolls around him. Jack tangles his fingers in Benny’s curls, kissing whatever skin his mouth could reach. 

“Like, for the rest of forever,” Benny adds, “outside of here.”

Jack nods into Benny’s neck. “You have me,” he repeats. “I’ll be out of here in less than a month, Benny. Can you wait for me?”

“No,” Benny pants as his hips speed up. “No, I can’t wait.”

Jack bends his legs up, snapping up into Benny just once, receiving a loud gasp from the unsuspecting boy. “Are you going to be with anyone else while I’m in here?”

“N-No,” he stutters out. 

“So you’ll wait for me?” Benny shakes his head again. Jack grabs Benny’s hips tightly, teeth grazing his neck, as he thrusts hard up into him. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” he whispers naughtily. “I won’t be able to wait; I’m going to have to fuck myself to the thought of you every day.”

“Oh, fuck, Ben,” Jack groans, speeding up his movements. “What the fuck am I going to do without you in here with me?”

“Be lonely,” he answers, “just like I will be without you.” Benny finally removes himself from Jack’s chest, leaning back on his thighs, hands on his hips as he rides him. He lets his head hang back, eyes closed and mouth open while he works himself up and down. 

Benny’s sinful mouth is just too far away from him and Jack can’t take it so he sits up with Benny and holds him tightly, burying his face in Benny’s chest, kissing the skin between his pecs. Benny’s hands come off Jack’s thighs to instead card his fingers through his hair. Jack groans when Benny pulls lightly on the short strands. 

“Jack?” Benny asks again, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Jack’s head, voice more confident than it was a second ago. Hearing Jack reciprocate what he was feeling, he was more sure in his words, in saying what he was feeling. 

“Yeah, baby?” 

“Would you wanna live with me?”

Jack can’t believe his ears. He leans back to look up at Benny, sure his emotions are visible on his face. Confusion, surprise, happiness. 

Benny starts to stutter nervously as Jack doesn’t answer. “I - I mean, you said you don’t have anywhere to go when you get out. You - you - you don’t have to - I mean, I would like it if you did, though. I have space and I want you around and -”

Jack kisses him with so much emotion that it knocks the breath out of Benny. The sex is completely forgotten, bodies unmoving except for their lips. “Yes, Benny. If you want me-”

“I do,” he assures quickly, then with a tease, “I only have one bed though.”

Jack sucks in a breath through clenched teeth. “I should probably get a second bed, then.”

Benny’s shoulders slump, a disappointing sigh leaving his lips, “Oh, okay.”

He seems so disappointed at the thought of sleeping in separate beds, breaking eye contact with Jack. Jack can’t help but laugh and shake his head. He wraps his arms tighter around Benny, using his body weight to hold him as he flips them, laying Benny on his back and he snaps his hips into him roughly just once “Yeah, ‘cause we’re likely going to break yours on my first night out of here.”

Benny squeals in delight and pleasure. He holds his thighs to his chest, giving Jack better access to fuck into him properly. 

“Benjamin, fucken, Hannon,” Jack curses as he rolls his hips against the boy. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I am so glad I did it.”

The silence covers them like a blanket, secluding them into their own little world. Jack kisses Benny like his life depended on it as he rolls into him softly. Benny whimpers quietly into Jack’s mouth. It’s easy to forget they’re in a jail cell, easy to ignore the shouts of other men just feet away from them. 

No one would have thought they only met three days ago. Not in the way the hold each other, sharing soft kisses and sweet whispers. The way Benny whispers Jack’s name sounds like he’d been calling it for years. Their bodies seemed to be made for each other, fitting together like two half pieces of a whole puzzle. 

Benny had been with many partners, Jack with few, but nothing felt for either boy like this did. It’s as if their bodies, their hearts, their souls, knew they had found their match. Lips moved together, hearts beat in sync, hips fit perfectly, like they were made for each other. 

“Ben,” Jack breathes into his neck, kissing at the smooth skin. Benny’s legs wrap around Jack’s waist, arms around his neck, their bodies pressed close together as Jack moves his hips in and out, tantalizingly slow.

As mouthy as he was the night before, Benny is in blissed silence now. His chin is back as Jack mouths at his neck, his own mouth wide open, eyes squeezed shut against the pleasure.

Jack’s hips get tired after a few minutes and it’s obvious in his uneven strides. He pulls his head out of the crook of Benny’s neck, dark eyes meeting Benny’s. He pulls out, receiving a disapproving whine from Benny. “I’m going to get a fucken cramp,” he explains with a chuckle. He presses a kiss to Benny’s cheek, switching their positions so that he sits with his back on the concrete wall, Benny sitting on him with his back to Jack’s chest.

Benny sinks easily back down onto Jack, leaning his head back against his shoulder, Jack wrapping strong arms around Benny’s petite waist. “Jack,” he whispers into the air, hips working down against Jack. “I’m - I’m going to cum.”

Jack reaches down to stroke Benny’s painfully hard cock, earning a guttural moan as soon as he touches him. It’s not long before Benny is coming on Jack’s hand, grabbing his wrist to bring his messy fingers to his lips, licking himself off of Jack’s fingers as he still fucks into him. 

Jack tries to lift Benny off of him as he comes closer to his finish but Benny only grinds down harder. “Come in me,” he begs in a hush. “Please, Jack.” He can’t say no, nor does he want to, as he kisses the space between Benny’s shoulder blades, arms tightening around his waist, holding him as close as he possibly can. 

“Lay back, baby,” Jack commands quietly. Benny lays back on his back, Jack dipping his head between his thighs, licking and sucking him clean, earning those last few beautiful whines from his boy. Benny crawls back into his arms, sweaty naked bodies just holding each other close. 

“Can I say something?” Jack asks into the silence. “Something I’ve never said before.” Benny nods against his chest. Jack hooks a finger under his chin, bringing his blue eyes up to meet his own brown. “I - I really really care about you. I know it’s only been a couple days but,” he heaves a large sigh. “I think… I think I might be starting to fall in love with you.”

The look is Benny’s eye is one for Jack to remember for a lifetime. His pupils expand as he smiles widely, a charming gleam making the crystal blue brighter in the dark. “Don’t say that to me,” Benny begs quietly, “not when I have to leave you tomorrow. They’re going to have to drag me away from you.”

Jack only nuzzles closer to Benny, pressing his face into his curls. “I’m not going to let you go,” Jack assures and it’s unsaid that he means more than physically. But both know it. “We should probably but on clothes,” Jack suggests. “I mean, I’m happy to stay just like this, but the doors will unlock in the morning and I don’t want to broadcast my dick to everyone.”

Both reluctantly climb from the bunk, slipping their discarded pajamas back on. Jack settles back down and Benny steps to climb to the top bunk, Jack stopping him with a gentle hand on his thigh. 

“Sleep with me tonight?” He asks softly.

Benny stands there for a second, just staring where Jack lays with only flannel pants on, in awe of his true beauty. Dark stubble litters his jawline perfectly, toned body beautifully complimented by his tattoos. His eyes beg Benny to stay with him and he does, curling into his side like that’s where he belongs. And he’s starting to think it is.

\---

It’s quiet that morning. But a heavy silence. They had skipped breakfast, too wrapped up in each other to leave their little cell. They’re just holding one another close, knowing it’s their last moments together.

“Are you sure you don’t want breakfast? Don’t want you to be hungry.” Jack mumbles the words where his lips press to Benny’s hair. 

Benny just shakes his head slightly, nuzzling his face further into the warmth of Jack’s neck. “I’m sure. Not that hungry. My stomach actually hurts a little.”

“Why? Are you okay?” Jack asks with concern. 

“Yeah I - I’m fine. I just - I keep thinking that I have to go today and I really just don’t want to leave you.”

Jack’s hand softly cups Benny’s jaw, lifting his chin to kiss him. “You’ll see me, again, Benny.” 

“You promise?” Benny asks in a whisper, as if he didn’t ask Jack to live with him just last night.

“I promise, Ben. It’s just a month and we’ll talk every day, you can come visit on visitation days if you want to. I’d really like you to. It’ll be like you never even left.”

“Jack. I fell for you in three days. How the hell am I supposed to survive an entire month without you?” 

“We’ll still talk all this month, baby, it won’t be so bad.” 

Benny whines softly. “But I won’t be able to touch you, to kiss you, for an entire month.” As for emphasis on how hard it will be for him, Benny reaches up to kiss the underside of Jack’s jaw, his fingertips just barely brushing his skin. “I don’t know if I’ll make it.” 

Jack laughs lightly and wraps his arms tighter around Benny. “You’ll make it. We’ll make it.” 

“You’re not going to fall for any other cute prison boys while I’m gone, are you?” 

“You’re the only cute prison boy for me.” Jack fingers scratch lightly at Benny’s scalp, running through his soft curls. A few seconds of soft silence pass between them before Jack clears this throat nervously. “H-hey, Ben? Did - did you mean it? Last night, when you asked me if - if I wanted to live with you.”

Benny nods and suddenly he feels very anxious.. “I meant it. The offer is still there. Are - are you having second thoughts? I mean, it’s - it’s okay if you are; I understand. We - we just met, you know, three days ago and -”

Jack quiets him with a gentle kiss. “I’m not having second thoughts. This,” he says, motioning between the two, “is something I really want to try. I just - I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just something you said in the heat of the moment.”

“I meant it,” Benny repeats. “I think - I think I would really like having you around all of the time.” His voice gets impossibly quiet when he says, “I think I would also really like to call you my boyfriend.”

“Say that again?” Jack asks. He thinks he knows what Benny just said but he’s not really sure, past the pounding in his ears, and he needs to hear it again.

“I - Well. Okay, Jack, I - I was hoping that we - we could, you know, be boyfriends, officially.”

“I’ve never actually had a boyfriend before,” Jack mumbles, lips brushing against Benny’s temple as he talks. “I’ve always been scared of, like, making things official. Of making commitments, you know? It - it gives me anxiety of thinking that something may be the same forever. Not just relationships, either, but anything. I once,” he laughs dryly, “I turned down a full paid scholarship to a good school because I couldn’t commit to going there. But, Benny, I don’t feel any of that with you. I don’t feel scared when I think of you as my boyfriend. There’s no anxiety when I think about waking up next to you every morning.”

Benny absolutely swoons at his words. He sits up to face Jack and straddle his thighs. His small hands cup Jack’s face on both sides. Benny doesn’t kiss him now, though he really wants to. Instead, he just studies Jack’s face, tracing his fingers along his sharp features. Jack may be the most beautiful man Benny has ever seen, and it goes beyond just his looks. 

“What are you thinking?” Jack asks in a whisper, his lips bumping against the pad of Benny’s thumb. 

Benny’s head tilts to the side as he smiles intoxicatingly. “You’re just kind of perfect.”

Jack blushes a light pink and kisses Benny’s thumb where it still brushes against his lips. He shakes his head only slightly. “You’re perfect. You’re perfect for me.”

“Perfect for each other.” Benny leans forward, starting with a kiss on Jack’s cheek, moving closer and closer with each kiss when he kisses him fully. 

The kiss deepens quickly, hungry hands roaming each other bodies as their lips work with one another. 

Jack is grateful that Benny never changed out of his pajamas when his fingers slip just under his waistband. “Can I take care of you, baby?” he whispers against Benny’s mouth and his boy nods quickly. “One last time before you leave me.” 

“Yes, please,” Benny consents and wets Jack’s first two fingers before Jack slides his middle finger into him. Benny is silent as he does so, panting open-mouthed into the dip above Jack’s collarbones. Jack hugs him close with one arm as he works him open, whispering sweet compliments into his ear. 

He’s slowly working three fingers in and out of him, Benny whining at the pleasurable feeling, when he says, “I know it’s only officially been a few minutes, but you’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.”

Benny moans at the use of the b-word, loving how it sounds coming from Jack’s tongues. “Call me that again,” he begs.

“My boyfriend?” Jack asks, breathlessly, and Benny nods. So he repeats the word between kisses, anything to please his boyfriend. 

“Will you make love to me?” Benny asks in a high voice, hips working slowly against Jack. Jack has completely hardened beneath him, rutting up as his fingers work inside his boy. 

Jack kisses him sloppily as they slip off each other’s pants. It feels more intimate than their past encounters, slowly undressing each other with gentle hands. Benny sinks easily onto Jack’s cock and Jack can’t do anything but caress the curve of his hips, telling him just how beautiful he really is. 

It’s a different pleasure this time, as something changed between them. The kisses are deeper, but also softer, making Benny’s head swim. Jack’s fingers light up his skin with each touch, leaving behind a trail of electricity in their wake. Benny can feel Jack’s heartbeat against his and it’s the only thing that matters. They’re not just having sex; they’re not fucking. 

They’re making love for the first time and Benny never wants to feel anything else. Benny has had many sexual partners in his life, more than most his age and he is not ashamed of that fact. But with how experienced he is, this is a first for him. Jack is a first for him. The first to affect him in such a deep way. The first to make love to him.

Jack’s thumb catches a tear as it rolls down Benny’s cheek, asking with concern, “Are you okay, baby, what’s wrong?”

Benny laughs through his tears, shaking his head. “I’m better than okay,” he promises as his hips work slowly against Jack. He’s not even sure how to convey what he’s feeling into words so he just kisses him deeply, hoping that translates at least a little bit. “It’s different, right?” he asks in a shaky mumble, already nearing his release. “It’s-”

“More,” Jack answers with a nod. “It’s something more, something better. It’s us.”

\---

Benny waits nervously, his foot tapping against the dirty tile. The lights above his head flicker with a zap and he didn’t miss it. He didn’t miss the unfriendly face behind the counter. He didn’t miss the pat down he received. In fact, he kind of hates it and the thought of being here again makes his skin crawl. But his reason for being here made up for it all. 

Benny stares at the metal door, eyes trained on the tiny window. He knows exactly how long he’s been sitting in this plastic chair. He’s checking his watch just about every minute and he’s been here for thirty-four minutes. Thirty-four minutes feels like hours. 

But Benny had been waiting much longer than thirty-four minutes. He’d been waiting for a month. They had talked every day on the phone, Benny gladly depositing a couple dollars here or there into Jack’s account to pay for the calls. They talked for exactly an hour every day and it was never long enough. It was also a hassle to end the call, neither wanting to say goodbye and hang up. Many times, their calls ended mid-sentence as their time ran out on them and they refused to say goodbye to each other.

He had also made sure to visit every Saturday, which was only three visits, but they were worth it. There was a no-contact rule so they had no choice but to talk and learn about each other but Benny, as frisky as he is, is grateful for that. Not only did he get to see Jack’s beautiful features in person, he now knows Jack better as a person, more about his past, his ambitions, his loves, his hates.

There’s still so much to learn about each other but that’s what this new time is for. Benny plans to spend as long as he can learning more and more about the tattooed man that won’t leave his mind. 

The beautifully horrible sound of the metal door opening brings Benny to his feet, hands clasped to his chest and a face-splitting grin gracing his features. He straightens his clothes and his hair, suddenly very conscious of how he looks, thinking maybe he should have put more effort into it. Maybe he would have worn a nicer shirt, or boots instead of Vans. He feels cast in the shadows as Jack’s beauty lights the room. 

Jack is more gorgeous than Benny remembered him being. Maybe it was the regular, not orange clothes or maybe it was the new aura of freedom surrounding him. He stood tall, chin high and wide shoulders pulled back proudly. His plain black tee was very complimentary to the black ink swirling from his neck to his knuckles. His facial hair was more of a dusting along his jawline than it was a month ago. His thighs fill his jeans perfectly down to his black Nikes and dark eyebrows are pulled low over his brown eyes, making them look even darker than normal across the room. He hasn’t noticed Benny standing silently in the corner, nearly in tears. 

The guard walks Jack to the counter, his back to Benny as he signs his way into freedom. “You’re free to go,” the guard says with a wave towards the door. “I assume you don’t have anyone picking you up.” It’s a very judgemental tone that the guard uses and it pisses Benny off, quite frankly. His blue eyes narrow and his shoulders square. 

“Assuming only makes you look like an ass,” Benny snaps, stepping up. Jack turns around with a whip and large grin, seeing Benny for the first time. He immediately lurches forward, wrapping his arms around Benny’s waist, holding him as though he could merge their bodies together and become the same person.

And that’s how they stand for a solid two minutes, holding each other as if it was both the first and last time. Benny sniffles against Jack’s shoulder, small frame shaking with emotional cries. It had been a month since they had touched each other, not even able to hug or hold hands during their visits. Their palms only touched with bulletproof glass between them. They were robbed of this for a month. Robbed of large arms holding petite shoulders, curly locks tickling sharp jaws, hearts beating so close to each other. 

They walk out of the county jail still in each other’s arms, not yet having said a word to each other, Jack’s arm around Benny’s shoulders and his around the older man’s waist, only letting go of each other to slip into Benny’s car, hands coming back together immediately. They don’t talk much at first, just enjoying each other’s company for the first time in a month. They had talked so much (still not nearly enough) in the last month and this seemed like the time to just bathe in the moment. 

Because, finally, everything feels right, there in Benny’s black Mercury. Benny looks absolutely beautiful as he drives, glancing over at Jack once in a while and Jack was staring every time he looked. One hand is steering, the other in Jack’s much larger inked hand. His black curls were nearly in his eyes, his crystal blue eyes, still shining with tears but smiling so brightly it looked like it hurt. 

Jack couldn’t stop staring at the beautiful boy. It didn’t feel real, to be here with him, not in jail. But it felt so amazing. It made Jack feel like he could do anything in life. His heart was light, he felt somehow cleaner, even though he hadn’t showered since he left the prison. He felt like a different person, and maybe he was. 

Jack suddenly sits up straight, looking out the window with confusion but also recognition. “You don’t live around here, do you?”

“No,” Benny laughs, and he stops in front of the one house in this neighborhood that Jack knows. “Just making a stop for you before we go home.”

Jack turns around to face Benny, so much excitement, happiness, worry, and fear in his features. “Are you serious? Ben, don’t do this to me. We’re really - oh, my god.” He cups Benny’s face and kisses him intensely, too in the moment to realize that was their first post-release kiss. “Are you sure?” Jack looks back to the house, hands still on either side of Benny’s face, and back to Benny. He kisses him again and Benny giggles. 

“Are you going to get out of the car and go talk to them, then?”

“I’m scared,” Jack admits quietly. “What if they-”

Benny immediately shushes him with a finger to his lips. “What if nothing, Jack. You think I didn’t make sure this was going to be okay? They know you’re coming. They’re excited to see you. All you have to do is go inside. I’ll be right there with you, Jack, and-” Benny breaks off with a soft giggle. “Look, they’re peeking out of the blinds because you’re taking too long. Come on, baby.”

Benny gets out of the car, walking around to Jack’s door, opening it and Jack is still frozen in his seat. “Come on!” He grins, grabbing Jack’s hand and pulling him out of the car. He pulls Jack’s chin down to lock eyes. “Look at me, Jack. They want to see you. They’re happy to see you. I promise and I’m right here with you. You’ve got this, baby. Go on.”

Slowly, Jack makes his way up the paved walkway, Benny just behind his right arm. He takes a deep breath as they reach the door, looking at Benny one more time who gives him a reassuring squeeze where Jack grips his hand tightly. He raises his hand to knock and his knuckles just barely touch the wood when it swings open. 

The first thing to happen is Jack dropping Benny’s hand like it burned him. 

Then a sweet woman squeals happily, jumping forward to hug Jack slightly around the waist. Jack hugs her back tightly, his tall frame towers over her. 

Benny stands just inside the doorway, hands clasped politely in front of him as he watches the exchange. Benny had met Mrs. Byrd a couple times in the last month and she was a wonderful woman as he had come to find. She was a beautiful dark-skinned woman, her natural hair long hair haloed around her head, giving a stunning contrast to her slender frame, reaching to Jack’s chin, just a smidge taller than Benny. Her golden eyes stood out with a twinkle and seemed to be able to see all your secrets. 

Her husband was the opposite. He was terrifying at first glance and Benny was intimidated until he talked to him. He turned out to be a sweet and funny man who just so happened to be 6’5 in height, a muscular 300 plus pounds. They were obviously a couple that went to the gym together regularly. He had a face that just sort of looked like he was angry all the time but he was truly a happy soul, always cracking jokes. Even if his face didn’t show it. 

Mrs. Byrd is fawning over Jack, pulling the couple into her home while her husband and son stand in the background. “Look who’s here!” She announces gleefully to her family. 

“Oh, it’s so good to see you again, son!” Robert Byrd grins, “And, oh, look, he brought Jack, too.” He laughs deeply at his own joke, the booming laugh rumbling through the house. “Get over here, boy,” he waves Jack to him and Jack quickly obliges, leaving Benny where he stood. He doesn’t take offense to it, knowing Jack must be incredibly happy to see his family. He’s talked to Benny every day for the past month but he hadn’t talked to them in at least a year so Benny was happy to just stand back and let him be happy. 

Jack, then, is the one to turn to 15 year old Quintos. “Quin,” he grins, hugging the younger boy and clapping him on the back. “It’s so good to see you, bub.” Jack steps back and Benny just melts when he sees Quin’s grin. He had been most excited about Jack’s release, missing the man that he considered a brother. 

“Sit down, sit down,” Sandy Byrd rushes, waving excited hands to the open furniture. “Do you want anything to drink, Jack, sweetie? Water for you, Benji?” Sandy had called him Benji since they met, treating him like her own from the get go. All he had to do was mention Jack and he was in. It was heartwarming how much these three loved Jack but it broke Benny’s heart that Jack didn’t realize how much they cared.

Benny sits next to Jack and reaches for him. His heart pangs when Jack moves his hand away and leans away from him. He pulls back and picks at his fingernails awkwardly, looking at Jack with an etched brow. Jack doesn’t look at him. 

Sandy comes back with two glasses, sitting on the arm of her husband’s chair to smile happily at the three boys on the couch. Her eyes are slightly teary and she sniffs. “It’s so good to see you again, Jackie. I’m so glad you’re here.”

Quin claps a hand on Benny’s back. “Thanks for bringing him here, Ben,” appreciative eyes conveying just how truly thankful he was. 

“How have you been, baby, and I mean really?”

Jack shrugs, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, even further away from Benny. “I mean, jail wasn’t great. But I - I’m out now, you know, and uh, I - I’m going to try to be better. The - the straight and narrow, you know?”

Quin leans over and whispers so that only Benny can hear him. “Not that straight.”

Benny lets out a bark of a laugh and Quin doubles over with giggles. The two had grown closer in the past month. Quintos is a hilarious kid, always popping off with jokes, and Benny was easily amused so they got along amazingly right from the start.

“And what’s all that about?” Rob asks with a mock stern, but truly amused, glare. 

“Nothing,” Quin laughs with a shake of his head. “You wouldn’t find it as funny as we did.”

Jack still hasn’t looked at him and it’s actually starting to worry Benny. He knew things were doing to be different out in the world but he was hoping it wouldn’t be like this. He feels hurt and rejected but he tries to push the feelings to the back burner and to not take it personally. Because in the big picture, Benny is the one that picked Jack up, Benny’s house is where Jack will sleep tonight, Benny’s covers will keep him warm. He clears his throat and blinks hard, tearing his eyes from the back of Jack’s head. 

From the corner of his eye, he sees Jack look over his shoulder. Jack then sits back. A twinge of hope surges through Benny and he tries to reach for Jack again. His hand barely moves and Jack shifts away a second time, clearing his throat nervously. 

Sandy snaps her finger and points at Jack with a sweet grin. “Jack, baby, come talk to me for a second.” He gets up and she ushers him to the kitchen. She waits for him to go in before she looks back to Benny. “You too, Benji, come on.” 

“Uh, oh,” Quin teases, “she’s yellin’ at one of you. Which one, I wonder.”

Benny walks over to her and she places a gentle hand on his arm. “Just stand in the back, honey, let me talk to him for you.” She nods and Benny wants to cry, realizing what she’s about to do for him.

Benny does as told, and stands just inside the doorway. Jack sits at the kitchen island, Sandy moving to stand on the other side. Jack looks over his shoulder at Benny, holding eye contact for a less than a second before he turns back to stare at the table. 

“Jack Holly,” Sandy starts strong, leaning her hands on the table to catch his eye line. “What are you doing?” It seems like a rhetorical question but she pauses and raises her eyebrows expectantly. 

“I, uh, I - what -” Jack stutters nervously, sitting up straight once he realizes that Sandy means business. 

“Hurting him, is what you’re doing,” she answers and points a finger at Benny. Jack turns to look at him again but Benny is the one to look away this time. “I see you, Jack. You haven’t looked at him since you walked in the door and you pull away when he gets close. Answer me straight and don’t be stupid with me, Jack. What are you scared of?”

Jack opens his mouth to answer but nothing comes out and Benny just wants to hold him. He can’t stop himself as he tiptoes forward, stopping when he’s about a foot behind Jack’s left shoulder. Jack doesn’t turn but Benny sees his eyes shift to try to see him in his peripheral. His shoulders slump toward the table and his head hangs. “Rejection,” he answers honestly and brokenly. 

Benny doesn’t care about himself or his own feelings in the moment, stepping forward to run a small hand up Jack’s spine. Unlike just minutes ago, Jack leans back into his touch, his hands coming up to cover his face. Benny just silently brings his hand to Jack’s hair, scratching at his scalp soothingly.

“Look at me, Jackie,” Sandy urges, reaching forward to grab one of Jack’s hands. “We love you. Okay? I know you’ve never really told us, but you don’t have to. We love you, we love who you are. You will _never_ feel rejected in this house, Jack, that I promise you. I see you. You want to be yourself, you want to hold him too. But I see you’re scared, too. But that’s what we’re here for, baby, so you don’t have to be afraid. Now stop looking at me and look at him.”

Slowly, Jack does. He only looks over his shoulder first. His teary eyes start on Benny’s chest, not yet able to bring himself to make eye contact. And Benny understands. His blue eyes are already watering, a lone calm tear falling from his lashes when he blinks. Jack’s dark eyes finally meet Benny’s and he immediately turns to wrap his arms around Benny and pulls him in close. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whimpers into Benny’s chest. “I don’t want to hurt you. I should be able to-”

“Hey,” Benny cuts him off softly, pulling back to cup his face. “Don’t even start. We’re not here to tell you to change how you feel right now, Jack. We get it. I know - I know you’re scared of what could happen if people know the real you. And I know it’s going to take a long time to get where you want to be. That freedom we talked about. We just want to help you get there and I’ll be right here for you the entire way, no matter how long it takes.” Benny takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as he says his next words. “It’s just - that rejection you’re scared of - that what I felt when you pulled away from me. I know - I know that’s not your intention and that it’s not even really because of me but,” he shrugs and opens his eyes. “That’s how it made me feel.”

Jack stands up and tangles his fingers in Benny’s curls, hugging him close. Benny’s hands clench at Jack’s side and a small sob bubbles from his lips. He doesn’t mean to cry but the emotions are running high today and he can’t keep it in. Jack only holds him tighter.

“I’ll give you two some time to yourselves. We’re out here when you’re ready. With our loving and accepting selves.” Sandy winks and rubs Jack’s shoulder soothingly and then she’s gone and it’s just Jack and Benny again. 

Jack immediately starts in, soothing his boy. “I’m so sorry, baby. I don’t want to make you feel like that, ever, and I’m so sorry I was. Fuck, you’re so important to me, Ben, and I don’t - I don’t really know how to handle these feelings yet. I thought I did but I - I don’t. I really don’t know how but I’m hoping you’re willing to help me figure it out.”

Benny nods against him. “Of course I am, baby, you know I am. We - we have to start with small steps and I think this is our first one. Let’s - let’s be open in front of your family, today. Only with what you’re comfortable with. I’d like to hold your hand. You know they’re not going to reject you or judge you.”

“Baby, you can hold my ass in front of them for all I care. I was being stupid before and I’m not going to do that. If you want to touch me, do it. Hold my hand, kiss me, lay on me like you like to do. It’s us, baby, me and you and I can’t be afraid to be open with you.” As if to back up his words, he cups Benny’s face and kisses him softly, quickly turning more passionate and wanting. Benny’s hips begin to rut toward Jack and Jack stills his hips with large hands. “Save that for when we get home.” Jack kisses him again sweetly before pulling back, hands still on Benny’s waist.

They stay there for hours, talking to each other and catching up on everything they’ve missed. By the time Jack and Benny are leaving hand in hand, their stomachs hurt from laughing and their cheeks hurt from smiling. Tears are shed at their departure with promises of coming back to visit soon. 

Fifteen minutes later, Jack is walking in the front door of his new home. Benny follows behind him nervously as he explores the unfamiliar space, hands folded politely behind his back. “I - I didn’t know if you had anything you wanted specifically but I tried to make it comfortable for you. I - I made sure I got all the Pirates of Carribean movies for you to watch if you want. I got pine - pine scented candles I’ve been burning for the last month so maybe it smells like it in here. I know you said you like pine and…” He is just rambling at this point, pointing to all of the new additions in his house, all the attempts at making sure it was perfect. 

Jack suddenly cuts off his ranting. “Benny, why are you nervous? You’ve literally never been nervous with me. I mean, you sucked my dick the first night we met. What’s got you nervous, baby?”

Benny’s voice is quiet, bashful as he bows his head. “I’m just… worried you won’t like it here.” He shrugs his shoulders, trying to downplay his own feelings but Jack isn’t having it. 

He cradles Benny’s face, lifting his chin. “Ben, I wouldn’t care if you only owned a microwave and we had to sleep on the floor. Actually, I don’t care if we only had a box in the alley. I think the best place for me to be is with you. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be and it’s perfect however it is. As long as you’re here, I have all I need. Okay? And I mean,” he laughs to lighten the mood, “it’s better than jail so I’m happy. You don’t have bars on the windows or anything, do you?”

Benny giggles, much more relaxed in Jack’s hands. “There are bars on my headboard and I do own a pair of handcuffs. Might be more like jail than you expected.” Benny winks flirtatiously. 

They come together for a kiss in their home, together officially and nothing has ever felt more right. It feels right when they brush their teeth side by side. It feels right when Jack tosses his clothes in Benny’s (their) laundry basket. It feels right when they slide under the covers together and lay nose to nose on the pillows.

“I know I said we’d break your bed the first night,” Jack says into the darkness, Benny’s eyes still bright on the pillows in front of him. “But I just want to hold you. I want to lay in a real bed and hold you all night.”

Benny takes on a teasing grin, reaching out to wrap an arm over Jack’s waist, pulling their chests flush together, nuzzling his cold nose into Jack’s suprasternal notch. “That’s a shame. The replacement bed arrives in the morning.”

Jack kisses his forehead, pulling him close with a chuckle. The silence envelops them comfortably, breathing in sync and heartbeats matching up, Jack’s much hotter body warming Benny’s skin. It’s been a long day for the couple so it’s not long before Jack slips to sleep in the arms of his home in their new home. 

\---

Benny hears the front door open and he’s immediately running to the door, shouting along the way. “No! No, Jack, get out! You shouldn’t be here!” He finds Jack in the living room, just shrugging his jacket off. Benny shoves his jacket back up on his shoulders and opens the door, pushing him out of it. “Leave, Jack. Shoo. Go away. What are you even doing here?”

“I got off work early,” Jack explains, slightly confused. “I was just-”

“Well, go back to work or something. You can’t be here.”  
“But, Benny…” he pouts. 

Benny stands his ground and blocks Jack from the doorway with his arms crossed. “But, nothing. I told you. You need to go, Jack, I’m serious.”

Jack stands there defeated. He knows Benny won’t change his mind. He will have to leave. “You’re serious. You’re going to make me leave right now. Really, Ben?”

Benny looks at him like he just asked the dumbest question ever. “Yes, oh, my god. Go, Jack, shoo, shoo, shoo. Don’t come in here.” 

He tries just one more time, turning on his full pout. “Benny, baby, don’t make me leave.”

“Don’t baby me,” Benny huffs dramatically. “Buttering me up so maybe I’ll let you inside. I know what you’re doing.” Benny places his own hands over his eyes. “Won’t work this time. Can’t charm me with your face if I can’t see it.”

Jack laughs lightly, leaning forward to kiss the tip of Benny’s nose. “Please let me in, Ben? I promise I won’t look.”

Benny sighs, letting his hands drop, eyes opening to be met with Jack’s beautiful dark eyes. “You’re a menace. I love you. Give me a couple minutes, _then_ you can come inside. Do you know how close you were to ruining your own surprise? I told you I was wrapping presents today.” He stands on his toes to give Jack a quick peck, shutting the door in his face afterwards. 

Benny runs around the house, attempting to hide Jack’s presents somewhere he knew they wouldn’t be found. But Jack’s nosey ass snoops everywhere, especially when it’s something for him. He’s like a child. Benny grins as just the thought of Jack tip-toeing around, looking for his gifts but never finding them. He finds a place he hopes Jack won’t find within the next 24 hours.

Jack is still standing in front of the door, hands politely clasped behind his back as he waits for Benny. The door swings open and both men smile at each other. “Okay,” Benny sighs, slightly out of breath from his marathon around the house. “You can come in now. Fucker.”

Jack slaps his ass lightly and presses a kiss to his cheek with a whispered, “I love you,” as he finally gets to enter their home. “So, what did you get me?”

“Oh, I bought you a new house. You’re moving out. You think I’m actually going to tell you?”

Jack shrugs with a coy smile. “Just thought I’d try. What do you want for dinner?” He makes his way to the kitchen, Benny hot on his heels. Jack ended up being the more kitchen-savvy of the two. Benny knew how to cook and could get by, but Jack just _belonged_ in the kitchen. He was a master and he loved cooking too, so it worked out between them that Jack made their meals most of the time, Benny did the cleaning (he liked cleaning as much as Jack liked cooking), so it really worked out between the two. 

“Whatever you want to make,” Benny sits on the island chair and Jack looks through the cabinets. “You’ve let me choose all week and I’m out of ideas. Chef’s choice, tonight.”

They’ve lived in harmony for a little over two years now. They just celebrated the anniversary of Jack’s release a month ago and now Christmas is coming up. They were hosting it at their home, this being the first time parents and family meet. Jack had met Benny’s family already and vice versa, but the families hadn’t met each other yet. Christmas was going to be the day. Tomorrow. 

“Spaghetti?” Jack asks. “Something easy before I spend time cooking all day tomorrow.”

Benny leans on his hands and smiles at Jack. “Sounds good to me. Kiss?”

Jack happily obliges, leaning across the counter to peck Benny’s pursed lips. Jack laughs suddenly, shaking his head as he grabs Benny and himself drinks. 

“What?” Benny slightly pouts after Jack pulls away, the kiss having ended too soon for his liking. 

“I just can’t believe you really weren’t going to let me come inside. You told me to go back to work.” 

Benny just shrugs. “I was wrapping gifts. I couldn’t let you see them.”

“Yeah, and Christmas is tomorrow, you little procrastinator. Shouldn’t you be done with those, already? I have all mine wrapped.” 

Benny feigns hurt when Jack calls out his procrastinating, knowing damn well he’s right. He crosses his arms and pouts. “Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you have to say it.” 

Jack just giggles at him over his shoulder, turning from the fridge to slide Benny the bag of cubed cheese for him to snack on, knowing his habit to snack while watching him cook. Jack can’t do anything but smile in admiration as Benny shimmies in his seat, grin stretching across his face as he dips his hand into the bag and tosses a cube in his mouth. He looks back at Jack, a happy gleam in his eye. 

Jack can’t stop his next words, falling past his tongue before he can think about it. “Do you want to get married?”

Benny’s smile doesn’t falter. “Definitely, yeah, someday. Never thought about it too hard. Why do you ask?”

Jack shakes his head. “Oh, sorry, no, that didn’t come out right. What I meant to say was ‘will you marry me’. I’m sorry. I meant to do this a lot fancier, make a bigger deal about it. But you just - you’re so beautiful, Ben, and I love you so, so much. Like so much it hurts. In a good way. And I - I don’t really want to spend a day without you.”

Jack pauses for a second, letting out a large sigh as he finally gets this all off his chest. Benny is shocked. Shocked into silence. He sits straight up, cheese forgotten, with his eyebrows in his hairline and his jaw in his lap. So Jack goes on, the speech already half written for a better time but it looked like this was happening now. 

“I adore you, Benny. Just. Everything about you. You’re - you are the _kindest_ person I’ve ever met and I’ve met Jesus. I’m kidding. I haven’t met him but I’m trying to say you’re nicer than Jesus. Like really fucking kind. _That_ ,” he points toward the living room, “might have been the meanest you’ve ever been.”

“I’ve been meaner,” Benny interjects, finally finding his voice in Jack’s speech.

“Yeah, but not to anyone that didn’t deserve it. Nice people can be mean to jackasses and it’s fair. But, that, too. You’re strong. Emotionally, mentally, physically. All of it. Stronger than me in all categories and I admire you for that. Also, the fact that you could knock me in a fight kind of turns me on, so that’s a huge plus. 

“And that leads right to being brave. You never back down even if you know you’re going to get your ass beat, as long as you’re fighting for what is right. And - and you’re brave about who you are. Who we are.” Jack leans across the counter, grabbing Benny’s hands in his, kissing his knuckles. “I was ashamed before I met you. I never wanted to tell anyone I was gay. But you, Ben, you weren’t scared. You’re - You’re just so brave and so free. I wanted to be like you. I wanted to be proud of who I was. And you’re helping me get there. I’m not there yet, but.” Jack breaks off as he turns his head into his shoulder and coughs, blinking hard. He sniffs and wipes the corner of his eye, turning back to a bleary-eyed Benny. His voice cracks. “I’m almost there, thanks to you. I owe so much of myself to you.” 

He planned that line. He was excited about that one, knowing it would really hit home with Benny because he meant it. Jack was a much different person before Benny. He was a detached man, shamed and rejected by his family, sworn against the world. Then a wild three nights in jail led to getting his shit together. Now he’s discovered a love for animal care and is in his second year of college with a steady job in a veterinary clinic. All thanks to the sweet boy in front of him.

“In two short years, Benjamin, fucken, Hannon, you’ve changed my life in a complete 180. You helped me get where I needed to be, but damn it, Ben, two years was _way_ too short. I want you around for…” He pauses, letting go of Benny’s hands to dramatically count on his fingers, “ _all_ of the years. All of them. For the rest of forever.”

Jack backs up from the counter, patting his pockets like he’s looking for something but he just wanted the excuse to stand back to admire and remember what Benny looked like in this moment. Cheeks flushed a bright pink, the happiest and most loving look he’s seen in his eye so far. There’s a few tear trail marks that he wipes at with a sniffle. That bright smile hasn’t left his face. That bright fucking smile that’s going to give him smile lines eventually. Jack wants to be around to see those lines appear 20 years down the line.

“I don’t have a ring yet because I wasn’t planning on doing this so soon. But you just - you were sitting there. Fucking grinning like an idiot, eating your cheese and doing that little happy dance you do when you eat. And that’s just… That’s something I want to see every day for the rest of my life.”

His throat is tight, so tight he worries if he’ll even have the voice to say the next lines. “So I mean, do you want to get married?”

Benny lets out some noise, half sob, half laugh and gets a wild look in his eye, cracking maybe the biggest grin Jack has ever seen. “I - I mean, yeah, some day. Wh- Why do you-” and he can’t finish the sentence, between cries and gut wrenching laughs. 

He wouldn’t be able to finish anyway as Jack practically jumps the counter, kissing Benny deeply as his emotions got the best of them. He wasn’t much of an emotional man, but he was crying now, though they were calm tears, unlike Benny’s happy sobs. He laughed with Benny at his horrible joke that was actually kind of funny in the moment. 

Jack cups Benny’s beautiful face in his hands, tattooed fingers slipping into black curls and it’s never felt so perfect. This is where he was meant to be in life. Right here, in Benny’s hands. Wherever he is, Jack wants to be. He doesn’t care where they are. He doesn’t care what they’re doing. He just wants to be doing it together. 

“Is that a yes? I really hope that’s a yes. I’ll get a ring eventually and-”

“I don’t care about a ring!” Benny cries. “Oh, Jack, I wouldn’t care if we went to the licensing office and did it right now - they’re closed but like, as soon as they’re open. I don’t care. I just want to be with you. For the rest of forever.”

“For the rest of forever,” Jack repeats. 


End file.
